Episode 26: The Story Behind The Image--The Lynching of Emmett Till

Authors: Authors: Kat Ross, Valeria Vidal-Jimenez, and Kearsey Gween In this episode, we discuss how photography has influenced our perception of victims of crime with a focus on Emmett Till. The fourteen-year-old Black child’s murder at the hands of white men was highly publicized. Images of his brutalized body were included in the press. Many people were polarized by said images, including those involved in the budding civil rights movement. We elaborate on his case, investigate the origins and ethics of photography as assistance in criminal cases and as awareness, and explain Emmett's legacy.   Sources: History  - https://www.history.com/news/a-look-back-at-the-crime-scene-photos-that-changed-how-murder-is-documentedLinks to an external site. History - https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/emmett-till-1Links to an external site. MoMA - https://www.moma.org/collection/terms/photography/photography-as-witnessLinks to an external site. USA Today - https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2017/01/30/the-blood-of-emmett-till-timothy-b-tyson-book-review/97058060/Links to an external site. FBI - https://www.fbi.gov/history/famous-cases/emmett-tillLinks to an external site. Photography Course - https://photographycourse.net/ethics-in-photography/Links to an external site. Time (Youtube) -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V6ffUUEvaMLinks to an external site. PBS - https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/emmett-impact-emmett-tills-murder/Links to an external site. Smithsonian - https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/emmett-tills-death-inspired-movementLinks to an external site. National Museum of African American History and Culture - Emmett Till's Death Inspired a Movement | National Museum of African American History and Culture (si.edu)Links to an external site. U.S. National Park Service - Birth of the Civil Rights Movement, 1941-1954 - Civil Rights (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)Links to an external site.