SUMNER — The Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument held the grand opening for its visitor center here last Friday.
July 25 marked what would have been Emmett Till’s 84th birthday and the two-year anniversary of the monument’s designation.
Hosted as a collaboration between the Emmett Till Interpretive Center and the National Park Service, the grand opening event invited people from across the community to learn about the location’s history and gave visitors the opportunity to experience the completed exhibit, “Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See.”
Simultaneously, the event included a virtual launch event for the second issue of Monument Lab’s Bulletin, co-edited by Monument Lab Senior Curator Yolanda Wisher, ETIC Executive Director Patrick Weems, and ETIC Chief Program Officer Dr. Daphne Chamberlain.
The issue focuses on the theme of reverence, occasioned by the 70th anniversary of Emmett Till’s murder and Mamie Till-Mobley’s fight for justice.
For the launch, Monument Lab Director Dr. Paul Farber spoke with Wisher about the process of assembling the publication, and issue contributors Dick Lourie and January Gill O’Neil read poetry.
Nearly 50 people from the local community and from farther away attended, with some expressly present for the Bulletin virtual launch.
Venita Halbert, ETIC’s community engagement coordinator, estimated that half of the total attendees were first-time visitors to the Monument and ETIC programs while the rest were familiar with ETIC’s work.
Many visitors said they planned to bring friends and family to the space in the near future.
“We opened our doors to welcome people in, and they showed up,” said Halbert. “The Emmett Till Interpretive Center is excited to be doing more open events like this for the community.”
The visitor center for the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, housed in what has been known as the Emmett Till Interpretive Center building, is open from 12-5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Tours of the Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner can be scheduled at emmett-till.org/book-online.
