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Transcript/Script US Emmett Till Memorial (TV)
HEADLINE: Biden Honors Slain Black Teen Emmett Till With Memorial Proclamation
TEASER: The 14-year-old and his mother became symbols for the US civil rights movement in the 1950s and beyond
PUBLISHED AT: 7/25/2023 at 7:30 p.m.
BYLINE: Laurel Bowman
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Washington
VIDEOGRAPHER:
VIDEO EDITOR:
ASSIGNING EDITOR: Pande, Newhouse
SCRIPT EDITORS: Holly Franko, Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S):
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV __ RADIO __
TRT: 2:20
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVRPKG
EDITOR NOTES:))
((Intro: ))
[[Emmett Till was 14 years old in August 1955, when he was kidnapped, tortured and killed by two white men in Mississippi after allegedly whistling at a white woman. Till’s death and his mother’s advocacy became catalysts for the civil rights movement in the United States, and President Joe Biden honored them today. VOA’s Laurel Bowman has the story.]]
((NARRATOR))
U.S. President Joe Biden, surrounded by Emmett Till’s family members and government officials, signed the document Tuesday …
((President Joe Biden))
“The proclamation I am signing establishes the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument.”
((NARRATOR))
Emmett Till was a black teenager who was kidnapped, tortured and killed by white men in Mississippi in the summer of 1955 after he was accused of whistling at a white woman. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, became a civil rights advocate following her son’s death.
((Courtesy: Alex Fairchild / Smithsonian))
((NARRATOR))
Lonnie Bunch, the Secretary of the Smithsonian and the founding director of its
((end courtesy))
National Museum of African American History and Culture, spoke about Till’s mother
((Courtesy: Alex Fairchild / Smithsonian))
and the casket displayed at the museum.
((end courtesy))
((Lonnie Bunch, Smithsonian Secretary))
“The one that resonates with me, that makes me cry every day, is Emmett Till’s casket... mainly because I became close to his mother ...” // “What I realized is that the casket was really not a way to talk about Emmett Till's broken body, but it was a way to talk about the strength of women. Here is a black woman [who] at the worst moment of her life said, ‘I will use that to challenge America to reinvigorate or reignite the civil rights movement.’”
((NARRATOR)) Chicago resident John Moore lives across the street from Till’s childhood home.
((John Moore, Lives Near Till Childhood Home))
“Explain to my kids what happened and at the time it was happening. It was hard for them to believe. It’s hard for young people to believe now what happened back in those days, but we are going to continue to go forward. We have to continue to fight for our rights. We are not going back.”
((NARRATOR))
The national monument comprises 5.7 acres across three separate historic sites in Illinois, where Till’s funeral took place, and in Mississippi, where he was slain and his alleged murderers acquitted.
((President Joe Biden))
“Telling the truth and the full history of our nation is important. It’s important to our children, our grandchildren, our great grandchildren … to our nation as a whole.”
((NARRATOR))
The two men accused of killing Till later admitted to the murder in a magazine interview.
((Laurel Bowman, VOA News, Washington))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
at the White House
Embargo DateJuly 25, 2023 21:24 EDT
Byline
Laurel Bowman, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
