SUMNER – The Emmett Till Interpretive Center (ETIC) and the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) are organizing a train ride from Chicago to Mississippi that echoes the one Emmett Till and his family took 70 years ago this August, linking together sites that are important to the Emmett Till tragedy.
Boarding the train will be Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr., Emmett’s cousin and the last surviving eyewitness to his abduction, along with his wife, Dr. Marvel Parker. Rev. Parker rode the same train with Emmett in 1955; while in Mississippi, Rev. Parker saw Emmett for the last time.
Aug. 27 at 8:05 p.m., the Amtrak City of New Orleans train will leave Chicago, preceded by a communal prayer at Union Station.
In addition to Rev. Parker and Dr. Parker, other notable passengers will include Juliet Louis, the widow of Willie Reed, who testified during the trial to prosecute Emmett’s murderers, and Mike Small, a former educator who knew Mamie Till-Mobley, Emmett’s mother, later in life and served as a pallbearer at her funeral. Jessie Jaynes-Diming, ETIC special projects coordinator, and Patrick Weems, ETIC executive director, will also be on the train. NPCA is providing funding for this event.
The train will arrive in Greenwood on the morning of Aug. 28, the 70th anniversary of Emmett’s death. Juliet Louis and Rev. Parker will both be participating thereafter in programming organized by ETIC to commemorate the lives and legacies of Emmett and Mamie. The commemoration events include a theatrical performance, panels with esteemed guests and a memorial service at the barn where Emmett was murdered. There, Rev. Parker will deliver remarks.
Dr. Eboni Goddard, Southeast Region Director for NPCA, said, “This cross-regional collaboration is a testament to our commitment to preserving sacred spaces, honoring truth, and building a future rooted in justice and legacy. As we reflect on the enduring legacy of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley, we are reminded that memory alone is not enough.”
“We’ll be arriving with Rev. Parker in Mississippi just as he and Emmett did,” said Jessie Jaynes-Diming, who helped organize the trip. “It feels like a privilege because he has joined ETIC for commemorations before, but this is very special since it’s going to be 70 years to the day. The work we do that’s inspired by Emmett’s death is very emotional.”
“As I reflect on my life and the journey that 70 years has taken me on, I sometimes wonder what Emmett would have accomplished if his life had not been snuffed out at 14,” Rev. Parker said. “My heart is overjoyed with each event that honors and preserves his legacy.”
Commemoration events at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena are free and open to the public. Register at emmett-till.org/70th.
