At our 2024 Members’ Annual Meeting, hear from key CHM staff and board members about what we have accomplished this year and the Museum’s upcoming plans, including the opening of Injustice: The Trial for the Murder of Emmett Till. Members will learn more about Emmett Till and this historic exhibition from Charles Bethea, Andrew W. Mellon Director of Curatorial Affairs.

“The murder of my son has shown me that what happens to any of us, anywhere in the world, had better be the business of us all.” —Mamie Till-Mobley

In 1955, the murder of Emmett Till, a Black teenager from Chicago, and the subsequent criminal trial in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, attracted international attention and sparked the Civil Rights Movement. Injustice: The Trial for the Murder of Emmett Till begins with photographs of a joyful Emmett in life and of his funeral attended by thousands. The trial proceedings are then shared through courtroom sketches by Franklin McMahon. These drawings give a visual account of a trial that amplified the inequities Black Americans face within the US court system, including a lack of equal protection under the law. Such injustices were challenged by the courageous actions of Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, and others who boldly stand in the face of racial injustice. This exhibition prompts visitors to consider how Emmett’s legacy continues in those seeking justice for Black lives today.

Free to members; RSVP required.