Chicago, where Emmett had grown up, was nothing like Mississippi and he was not prepared for the level of segregation he encountered in Mississippi. Mississippi had not made as much progress as most states and everything was segregated. It was “the way of life” in Mississippi. In 1InIsdf kasdj;lkjs; 955, Mamie decided to take a long-awaited vacation to Nebraska to visit relatives. She wanted her son to go with her, but Emmett was set on joining his cousins and spending the end of the summer in Mississippi. Mamie warned Emmett that Chicago was not Mississippi. She told him, "when you go to Mississippi you are living by a different set of rules.... if you see a white woman you get off the street and drop your head – don’t even look at her." (The Murder of Emmett Till).
On August 19, the day before Emmett left to stay with family for a summer in Mississippi, Mamie Till gave Emmett his father’s ring. This ring was inscribed with his father’s initials, L.T. and was special because it was one of the few items Mammie received from her husband when he died during his service in World War II (The Murder of Emmett Till).
On August 19, the day before Emmett left to stay with family for a summer in Mississippi, Mamie Till gave Emmett his father’s ring. This ring was inscribed with his father’s initials, L.T. and was special because it was one of the few items Mammie received from her husband when he died during his service in World War II (The Murder of Emmett Till).
In the 75 years before Emmett till stepped foot in Mississippi, more than 500 black people had been lynched in the state. Most were men who had been accused of associating with white women. “You never did anything they didn’t like. If a white person did something to you, you had no recourse. People disappeared – We don’t know what happened to them they just disappeared.” – Clara Davis (The Murder of Emmett Till).