Emmett Till was born in Chicago on July 25, 1941. His
parents were Mamie and Luis Till. Emmett never knew his father, who was
shipped out to Europe as an Army private in 1942. Three years later, Mamie
received a letter from the Department of Defense informing her, without any
explanation, that her husband had been killed (Vox).
parents were Mamie and Luis Till. Emmett never knew his father, who was
shipped out to Europe as an Army private in 1942. Three years later, Mamie
received a letter from the Department of Defense informing her, without any
explanation, that her husband had been killed (Vox).
When Emmett was five years old, he contracted polio. He recovered but his speech was left a little slurred. Despite this, he grew up as a happy boy. Emmett helped with the chores at home. Emmett's nickname was "Bobo" and he was surrounded by relatives and grandparents. Emmett grew up in a middle class neighborhood in the southern part of Chicago. Despite the fact that blacks and whites were segregated, their were a lot of black owned establishments that did well. He attended an all-black elementary school close to his house. Emmett, who was fourteen years old at the time was enjoying his summertime dancing to rock and roll music with his friends. (The Murder of Emmett Till).
Young Emmett had a really funny personality, "He loved to tell jokes," said his cousin, Wheeler Parker. Heard, one of Emmett’s friends, described him: “Emmett was a funny guy all the time. "He had a suitcase of jokes that he liked to tell," said Heard. "He loved to make people laugh. He was a chubby kid; most of the guys were skinny, but he didn't let that stand in his way. He made a lot of friends at McCosh Grammar School where we went to school." Heard remembered the time he went to Emmett’s house. Emmett and his friend were both looking forward to returning to school together in the fall. They would be going into eight grade and soon moving on to high school. Emmett had high hopes for his future. Heard never knew that would be the last time he would see his friend alive (The Murder of Emmett Till).