Statue of Emmett Till

Statue of Emmett Till
Map
ArtistMatt Glenn[1][2]
Year2022
MediumBronze, granite[3]
SubjectEmmett Till
Dimensions2.7 m (9 ft); bronze statue: 7 feet (2.1 m), granite base: 2 feet (0.6 m)[4]
LocationGreenwood, Mississippi
Coordinates33°31′00″N 90°10′55″W / 33.51667°N 90.18185°W / 33.51667; -90.18185

A statue of Emmett Till was unveiled in Greenwood, Mississippi's Rail Spike Park in October 2022.[5] State senator David Lee Jordan allocated $150,000 (equivalent to $168,660 in 2023) in state funding for the statue.[1][2] As of October 2022, this is the only "stand-alone" statue of Till in the United States.[6][7] There is another statue in Pueblo, Colorado that honors both Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Till.[7]

The Greenwood monument consists of a 7 feet (2.1 m) tall bronze statue of Till on a 2 feet (0.61 m) tall granite base.[3] Till is touching the brim of his hat and wearing a dress shirt, slacks, and a necktie.[5]

Shortly after installation, it was noted that the plaque on the statue contained errors, including using the word "Legislator" instead of "Legislature" and the sentence "After being falsely accused of whistling at and touching a white woman, Emmett was kidnapped and murdered on August 28, 1955." Most research and eyewitness accounts do not dispute Till's whistling.[7] As of July 2023, the plaque still contained errors.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b Garner, Glenn (October 22, 2022). "Emmett Till Memorial Statue Unveiled in Mississippi: 'Affirmation That Our Lives Matter'". People. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Mississippi county OKs contracts for Emmett Till statue". NBC News. Associated Press. March 2, 2022. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Gatchet, Roger Davis; King, Stephen A. (March 21, 2024). "Obfuscation, the Rhetoric of Martyrdom, and the Emmett Till Statue in Greenwood, Mississippi". Howard Journal of Communications: 1–14. doi:10.1080/10646175.2024.2326265.
  4. ^ Gatchet & King 2024, p. 6.
  5. ^ a b "A statue of Emmett Till is unveiled in Mississippi". NPR. Greenwood, MS. Associated Press. October 22, 2022. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  6. ^ Liu, Jasmine (October 27, 2022). "Nine-Foot Bronze of Emmett Till Is Unveiled in Mississippi". Hyperallergic. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Kalich, Tim (October 29, 2022). "Text on plaque of Till statue contains errors". Greenwood Commonwealth. Archived from the original on October 29, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  8. ^ Gatchet & King 2024, p. 7.


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