All language subtitles for Women Of The Movement s01e06 The Last Word.eng

THOMAS P. BRADY:
The loveliest and the purest

of God's creatures,

the nearest thing to
an angelic being,

is a well-bred Southern woman

or her blue-eyed,
golden-haired little girl.

This is why we can't put
little boys

and little girls together,

Negroes and whites,

and have them sing together,

play together,
dance together, eat together.

You cannot do this
and then expect the sensitivity

of those white children
not to be broken down.

-[crowd shouting "no!"]
-You can't do it!

By abolishing
school segregation,

the Supreme Court has set aside

all the laws of eugenics
and biology created by God.

If trouble is to come, we can
predict how it will start--

the glib young Negro
who sojourned in Chicago

or New York
will perform an obscene act,

or make an obscene remark,

or assault on some white girl,
for they will reason,

"Has not the Supreme Court
abolished segregation?

Would the federal government

-not protect us?"
-[crowd shouting "no!"]

This is the reasoning
which produces riots

and bloodshed,
raping, and revolutions.

[cheers and applause]

♪♪

[indistinct conversations]

[solemn music plays]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

We'll begin closing arguments
momentarily.

How many do you think
they turned?

At this point,
does it even matter?

You're damn right it does.
The defense played dirty.

They knew that
if the judge let Carolyn

take the stand,
her story would get to the jury.

It didn't matter if he ruled it
inadmissible or not.

Well, what'd you expect?

Everyone knows Breland ranks
high in the Citizens' Council.

Well, it's not like
I haven't seen one before,

but burning crosses
usually aren't directed at folks

-who look like us.
-Hmph.

[sighs]

What happened there?

-Sunburn.
-I see that.

What's the story?

I was following up on a lead.

I'd heard that, uh,
those two Negro witnesses

were being held
in the Charleston jail

for the duration of the trial.

Where'd you hear that?

I can't reveal my sources,

but I asked those deputies
for directions to sniff it out.

Instead of directions,
they offered me a ride.

Turns out
it was a one-way fare,

and I was stuck
walking five miles

in the midday sun
back into town.

[chuckles]

You're lucky
they didn't do more

than leave your ass
in the country.

[sighs] Very true.

RUBY: Mamie, we thought
you'd left town.

I nearly did.

I, um--
I bit my tongue yesterday

while that woman lied
about my son,

and I just couldn't
bring myself to sit

through the parade of character
witnesses this morning.

All you missed were
a bunch of peckerwoods

trying to convince us
that Bryant and Milam

had "the best reputations
two men could ever have."

I figured.

You know, as much as I wanted
to pack up

and put this nightmare
behind me,

I remembered what you said
about showing up.

So... here I am.

[indistinct conversations]

I don't want that woman
thinking I bought

any of that garbage
she spewed up there,

but if I had left, she might've.

[tense music plays]

♪♪

[gavel bangs]

JUDGE SWANGO:
Order in the court.

Gentlemen, are you prepared
to give your closing arguments?

BRELAND:
Yes, Your Honor.

The state may begin.

CHATHAM: There's been a lot of
talk about this case

inside this courtroom
and out,

but I'm not concerned

with outside organizations'
interference.

My only concern is what
is morally right or wrong.

And if you return a verdict
based on anything other

than the evidence presented
to you in this courtroom,

then you will endanger
every custom

and tradition
the South holds dear.

And we all know
that a true Southerner

would never kill a child.

I was born and bred
in the South,

and if Emmett Till acted up
and deserved to be punished,

like the defense
would have you believe,

then the worst punishment
that should've occurred

was a whipping.

Because down here, we deal
with a child as a child,

not as a man.

♪♪

The fact remains the very first
words of the state's testimony

were dripping with
the blood of a child.

And what were those words,
gentlemen?

They were "Preacher, preacher.

I want that boy from Chicago--

the boy that did
the talking in Money."

♪♪

[telephones ringing]

I've come to collect my--
my witness fee, sir.

Mose Wright's my name.

I know who you are.

[suspenseful music plays]

♪♪

[money rustling]

♪♪

♪♪

[indistinct conversations
in distance]

♪♪

♪♪

[flashbulb pops]

-Mr. Wright. Sir.
-Mose. Mose.

Can we get a question
from you, sir?

Any comment, sir?

♪♪

Where you going, Preacher?

♪♪

[flashbulb pops]

♪♪

♪♪

CHATHAM: Now we have
this doctor come up here,

with his degrees and titles,
and he says that he cannot tell

whether the body
was white or colored.

Now, if a doctor cannot tell
a Black body from white,

I sure don't want him writing
any prescriptions for me.

[crowd laughs]

All it took was someone
who knew and loved Emmett Till

to identify him,
not a doctor or a sheriff.

If there was anything
left of Emmett Till--

a hairline, an ear,
or just part of a nose--

then I say to you
that his mother, Mamie Bradley,

was God's given witness
to identify him.

[dramatic music plays]

♪♪

[chair slides]

♪♪

BRELAND:
Now, in order to, uh,

convict these young men of
murder in the first degree,

each of you has to be convinced,

beyond a reasonable doubt
and moral certainty,

that the state
has proven their guilt.

The state has proven nothing,
and certainly not murder.

Eh, suppose J.W. Milam
and Roy Bryant

did take Emmett Till
and later turned him loose.

Suppose old Mose got in his car

and found the boy along the road
as he walked home.

Mose may have taken him
to meet a friend,

involved with people
who want to, uh,

defy the customs of the South--

people who may have persuaded
Mose to take Emmett Till's ring

and put it on a rotten,
stinking corpse

that could later be found
floating in the river.

Now, when you, uh, walk into
that room to deliberate,

I want you to think
about your future.

'Cause when your summons comes
to cross the Great Divide,

and as you enter
your father's house--

a home not made by human hands,
but eternal in the heavens--

you can look back to where
your father's feet have trod

and see your good record
written in the sands of time,

and when you go down
to your lonely, silent tomb

to a sleep that knows no dreams,

I want you to hold
in the palm of your hand

a record of service to God
and your fellow man.

[tense music plays]

And the only way you can do that
is to turn these boys loose.

Every last Anglo-Saxon
one of you

has the courage
to free these men.

♪♪

♪♪

Has the defense completed
their closing arguments?

Your Honor, we have.

JUDGE SWANGO: The state has
the option of delivering

the final word to the jury,
if you choose to take it.

♪♪

Does the state have
anything else to offer?

♪♪

Yes, Your Honor. We do.

♪♪

What you just heard is
the most far-fetched argument

ever uttered in a courtroom.

Mose Wright didn't
help stage a murder.

It's simple.

The defendants took the law
into their own hands

and gave that boy
a court-martial

with the death penalty imposed

because they didn't think anyone
had the courage to come forward

and do what was morally right.

I am asking you to find that
courage within yourselves today,

because the defense
is right about one thing--

there are outside agitators

trying to destroy
our Southern way of life,

but once we take
the life, liberty,

and pursuit of happiness
from anyone,

we will be put on the defensive

and become vulnerable
in justifying our stand.

Only so long as we can help
preserve the rights of everyone,

White or Black,

can we keep our way of life.

♪♪

♪♪

[indistinct conversations]

[tense music plays]

[sighs] So, what now?

We just sit here and wait?

[sighs]
That's all we really can do.

Y-Yes, of course, but in here?

With this humidity?
[breathing heavily]

I mean, I-I can
hardly breathe.

If we leave now,
we're gon' lose our seats.

-HICKS: All right.
-[paper tears]

Write down your name
and a number.

-And what is he doing?
-RUBY: Being an ass.

Making wagers.

Predicting how long
it's gonna take.

To deliberate?

And acquit.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Everyone's expecting this
to wrap up soon, aren't they?

A quick verdict doesn't
necessarily mean

it won't go our way.

[door opens]

♪♪

They're not done.

They're thirsty.

[laughter]

Well, let's get 'em some Cokes.

[laughter continues]

Wait, this is a joke
to these people, isn't it?

[laughter subsides]

♪♪

JUROR:
Ten not guilty.

Two abstained.

Looks like two of y'all
are trying to hang us.

Guess we gotta sort some
things out before we vote again.

All right.

According to them undertakers,

that body had hair on its chest.

Blacks don't grow hair
on their chest till they're 30,

so there ain't no way
the body was that boy's.

Eh, now wait a second.

[stammers] That boy's mother
identified the body.

That body didn't look
like nobody.

Eh, it would be pretty hard
for a mother

to make a mistake
about her own child.

JUROR #2: Eh, I didn't buy
a word she said.

And if she tried
a little harder,

she might have squeezed out
a few more tears,

don't you think?

Milam and Bryant
confessed to taking the boy.

They let him go,

and what happened to him after
hasn't been proven by the state.

Well, those farmhands--

they saw him on the way
to the Milam property.

They-- They--
They heard his screams.

And you heard what happened
in that market.

Now, what if it had been
your wife or your sister,

all alone when that brute
strutted in there,

smart-talking her,

thinking he could come down here
and do as he pleased?

♪♪

What we do today
means something.

It'll either put folks
on notice,

or give 'em permission to do
whatever the hell they please

the next time the opportunity
presents itself.

♪♪

[papers rustle]

♪♪

♪♪

[knock on door]

[door opens]

♪♪

[crowd murmuring]

♪♪

Let the courtroom be in order.

♪♪

Have you gentlemen
reached a verdict?

Yes.

Has your verdict been made
in accordance

with the form
that was given to you?

Yes.

Please give the verdict
to the clerk.

♪♪

♪♪

For the charge of murder,
we the jury find the defendants,

Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam...

♪ I love my baby

♪ With all my might

REPORTER:
We're broadcasting live outside

of the Tallahatchie
County courthouse.

The murder trial against
J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant,

the two men accused of killing
14-year-old Negro Emmett Till,

has come to an end.

After 67 minutes
of deliberation,

the jury has reached
a verdict--

not guilty.

[cheers and applause]

[horns honking]

[click, radio shuts off]

67 minutes.

It was all show.

They threw us a bone.

They gave us a trial
because the world was watching,

and they will claim
that they gave us a fair shot,

and that the state
of Mississippi did

all that they could do,
and the world will believe it.

Unless we tell them otherwise.

Unless we tell the truth.

I have no doubt that you will.

I said "we."

If Leflore County prosecutes
on kidnapping charges,

we could have
another trial ahead of us.

How do we pressure them
to make sure they do prosecute?

Invitations for you to speak
started coming in

the moment you stepped off
that stage in Chicago.

I didn't think it was
appropriate to bother you

with all that business
during the trial,

but now that it's over,

what do you think
about getting out there

and telling folks
what really went on down here?

[somber music plays]

I let people see
what they did to Emmett.

Now it's time to tell them.

♪♪

♪♪

I realize it's been
quite a stressful day,

so I appreciate your time
in speaking with us.

[indistinct conversations]

So, how do you folks feel
now that it's all over?

Roy, how about you?

I'm just glad it's over with.

J.W.?

I am, too.

Mrs. Bryant? Uh...

I'm fine.

-And how about you, Mrs. Milam?
-JUANITA: Fine.

What happens next for you folks?

What's on the docket?

I haven't decided yet.
I don't know yet.

REPORTER: Roy, will you open
your store again?

I don't know.

The eyes of a lot of people
have been on you

these last few days,

and now you're free
of this murder charge.

There's still
the kidnapping charge

that has to be
taken care of, too.

Is that right?

I don't know.
If you want anything else,

you'll have to
talk to our lawyers.

Now, if you'll excuse us.

[giggles]

[flashbulbs pop]

[film reel clicking]

[flashbulb pops]

I need you fellas
to come with me.

What?
Where are you taking them?

Leflore County. For processing.

♪♪

All right, make room, make room.

Y'all back off. Back off there.

SHERIFF SMITH:
Afternoon.

J.W. Milam, Roy Bryant,

you're under arrest for
the kidnapping of Emmett Till.

[flashbulb pops]

♪♪

[handcuffs click]

We'll be out in no time.

[handcuffs click]

♪♪

George.

[sighs]

Folks are tired, George.

They're ready for this circus
to leave town.

You drag this kidnapping
nonsense on too long,

they'll grow tired of you, too.

I'm gonna do the job
I was elected to do

for as long as
I'm in the Sheriff's Office.

It might serve you well
to do the same.

♪♪

Let's get the hell out of here.

[engine starts]

♪♪

♪♪

[vehicle approaches]

[horn honks]

[brakes squeak]

[sighs]

Come on, Dallas.

[grunts]

It's time.

[clang]

[door opens]

Come on.

Come on.

-Morning, Paul.
-Morning.

You sure
you're ready to do this?

Yeah. I don't have
much choice, do I?

See, that's where you're wrong.

You made a living down here.

You have a little something left
over every month, don't you?

There's not many of us
that can say that.

Surely
things'll calm down soon.

Now there's
a kidnapping trial.

If there is, won't they
want you to testify?

They will,
and I'll come back to do it,

but I won't be staying.

Suppose things won't be
getting back to normal

around here anytime soon.

Not for me and my boys,
it won't.

Not for any of us.

What's that?

Oh, it's--
it's some dog chow.

Some old dried bones.

You gon' be
a tough act to follow,

Mose Wright.

You done spoiled this animal.

Yeah.

He's the best dog
in seven states.

Mm-hmm.

Hey.

There you go. There you go.

[uplifting music plays]

You take care of him.

Go on home with Paul, okay?

That's Paul.
You're going home with him.

You got it?

All right. Come on. Get going.

♪♪

Go on.

[Dallas whimpers]

It took guts to get up there
on the stand.

♪♪

You know what else?

Leaving takes guts, too.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[door opens]

PAUL: Get over there, boy.
Go on now.

[door closes]

There you go. Go on. Go on.

[engine starts]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[sighs]

♪♪

♪♪

[indistinct conversations]

[train horn honks]

Daddy!

Hey, son!

[chuckling] Hey, boy. Hey.

[laughs] Hi.

Maurice. Gimme that.
Gimme that. Let me. I got it.

[grunting] I got it.

Put it up here. All right.

Good to see you. [laughs]

So, you excited to see Chicago?

And Mama.

I can't wait to see
Lincoln Park.

What you know
about Lincoln Park?

Bobo told me all about it.

He did?

[somber music plays]

♪♪

♪♪

What'd he say?

That Chicago summers
were the best.

Hmm.

[snorts, laughs]

Yeah.

You'll see.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[brakes screech]

[bell dinging]

[gentle music plays]

♪♪

[indistinct conversations]

MAURICE, ROBERT, SIMEON: Mama!

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

MAMIE: What I saw
in that courtroom

was a shame before God and man.

It's about the biggest farce
I have ever seen.

They claim to have
their own culture

based on traditions
and institutions.

They claim that they are
no different

than other people
in this country,

and I tell you that is a lie!

[cheers and applause]

My son didn't attack that woman.

MAN: No.

He was just a boy.

♪♪

♪♪

And he paid a debt
for a lot of people.

But I don't feel
that he is my child anymore.

A little bit of him belongs
to everybody now,

so it is up to all of us
to do our part.

[cheers and applause]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Ah.

Welcome to Harlem.

Mr. Wilkins,
thank you so much for coming.

Of course.

I must say, I have never seen
anything like that,

certainly not with a woman
at the microphone.

But first and foremost,
I am sorry that the trial

did not go our way.

Thank you.

RAYFIELD: The good news is
the verdict is on the front page

of every newspaper
in the country,

and that means
every potential member

of the next grand jury
is already following the story.

I think it's time
we took control

of the narrative,
don't you think?

Absolutely.

And we'd like to do just that,

by offering you
an exclusive speaking tour,

sponsored by the NAACP.

If you'll have us.

-I'd be honored.
-[chuckles]

Isn't that wonderful, Rayfield?

Yes, of course.

But with all due respect,
as Mamie's advisor,

I would ask that you give her
time to talk to a lawyer--

one who isn't affiliated
with the NAACP--

to make sure she's aware
of her options.

As you know, there are many.

Until you've settled on terms
with the NAACP,

you have the freedom
to speak wherever you choose,

but we will need
an answer soon,

because the demand is only gonna
grow with each passing day,

especially if you keep
delivering like you did today.

[chuckles] Well, I have faith

we will come to an agreement
we're all happy with.

Until then,
I'm gonna keep talking.

Good.
Because people are listening.

[applause]

Come with me.

[door squeaks]

[cheers and applause]

[flashbulb pops]

[flashbulb pops]

Let this serve as a reminder

that only you
can tell your story.

May I?

[cheers and applause]

[uplifting music plays]

♪♪

♪♪

[film whirring]

♪♪

♪♪

I want you all to support
this wonderful organization,

because they alone
can get laws in the books

to stop these lynchings.

[crowd shouts in agreement]

And they alone can see to it

that what happened in that trial
doesn't happen again.

[crowd shouts in agreement]

We can't leave it
in their hands.

Mississippi officials
have shown us

that they cannot be trusted to
uphold the laws of this nation,

a nation that my son's father,
Louis Till,

died fighting to protect.

[cheers and applause]

[flashbulbs pop]

REPORTER: On the day
that the verdict came down,

our members and our leaders
were shocked and revolted

by the fact that
the state of Mississippi

had seen fit
to take two murderers

and elevate them
to the level of heroes.

The leadership of
the United States

has definitely suffered
in Africa and in Europe

because of what's happened
in Mississippi.

The jury that was supposed
to render this verdict

contained not a single member
of the race

of the boy who had been killed.

We will continue to battle
this thing

until every man, woman,
and child of the United States,

when he goes before a court
of justice, will get justice.

[cheers and applause]

Days ago, my son's lynchers
were bailed out of jail

by a group of plantation owners

who banded together
to raise $20,000...

So that those men could get back
to supporting their families

until the grand jury convenes.

[crowd boos]

We must do more than complain.

[crowd shouts "yes"]

We must band together,
just like them.

We must use our anger
and our voices.

And if our calls and letters
and telegrams are ignored...

We must beat them
at their own game

and protest the state of
Mississippi

with our pocketbooks!

[cheers and applause]

[inspiring music plays]

♪♪

[solemn music plays]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

-ROY: Carolyn!
-[car horn honks]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

I just wanted to make sure
I got everything.

♪♪

Ain't like there's much to get.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[indistinct conversations]

The NAACP is using this woman
to collect huge sums of money

based on distorted facts.

She's a grieving mother.

She's a puppet.

The Northern papers are printing
her hate propaganda

like it's gospel,
knowing damn well

she's painting Mississippi
with a dangerous brush.

"They're calling Mississippi
the purgatory of racial tension

and a hellhole of
American democracy.

How long are we gonna let them
get away with that?"

"If Till was really killed,

then the NAACP,
its mongrel leaders,

and the abominable excuse
for a Supreme Court

are solely responsible, not us."

This is just today's mail.

We need a rebuttal--

a story powerful enough
to silence them

so that our readers feel heard.

What about the boy's father?

What about him?
He's dead, right?

A war hero, died overseas.
There's no story there.

Senator Eastland seems to think
there's more to it than that.

It's time we did
a little digging.

Packton, you were hot on this
back in September.

You go ahead and take the lead.

I'll meet you in D.C.

From there, we'll head to
Grand Rapids

and then Des Moines.

Well, I suppose I should be
grateful to get a few days

to rest and recharge in Chicago
with Gene and Mama.

I'm exhausted
just thinking about it.

I know it's been tough,
but these next few weeks

before the grand jury convenes
are critical,

and while you're home,
you need to talk to a lawyer

so we can start negotiating.

I am not looking to get rich
off of any tour.

I just want to pay my rent.

WILKINS:
Good afternoon.

Roy.
What brings you down here?

This.

♪♪

-How much did you know?
-Please, Mr. Wilkins.

I learned about Louis' death
by telegram 10 years ago.

And what did it say?

I-It said he--
he was charged with

willful misconduct in Italy.

And what did that mean to you--
"willful misconduct?"

-I didn't know.
-He was executed!

Hanged for rape, Mamie.

And by you leaving that detail
out of your speeches,

people are saying
that you implied

that he died
for our country in war.

[groans]

I didn't believe it, all right?

This country isn't the only
place where they [sniffles]

lynch Black men
for looking at white women.

-But you have no proof.
-Neither did they!

♪♪

Louis Till was a bad husband.

He stepped out.
He put his hands on me.

I am not proud of any of that.

I-I am ashamed, but that
has nothing to do with Emmett.

He barely knew his father.

He-- He didn't learn a thing
from that man.

♪♪

"Like father, like son."

♪♪

It is no coincidence
that this story came out

right before the grand jury
hearing, is it?

If I had known, Mamie, I could
have gotten ahead of this thing.

I cannot let that
poison the jury.

I-I-- I-I have to fight this.

Unfortunately,
you don't have much time.

If you want the last word,
you must control the message.

Let us help you do that.

Mamie's exhausted.

If you want her to continue
for you,

she deserves a substantial
piece of the tour.

That's our bottom line.

Enough!

I can't do this right now.

Not while they're saying
these sick things about my boy.

I am sorry, but I need to go.

-Mamie.
-Thank you...

for everything you've done,
both of you,

but I need to be alone.

♪♪

♪♪

Well, now, they haven't [sighs]
said a word about that night

to anybody but me,

so why should they tell
some fiction writer?

[chuckles]

I'll pay.

How much?

$4,000,

to be divided
among the three of you.

Now, Mr. Breland, of course,

will receive his commission.

In addition to your advance,

LOOKmagazine will add
a percentage of the profits

from the publication
of the story.

Mm-hmm.

ROY:
I don't know, J.W.

I ain't feeling right
about all this.

MILAM:
Oh, really?

You feeling right about
your market being closed?

Or how y'all feeling
about not being able

to put food
in your boys' mouths

'cause everybody jumped ship?

[sighs]

What would we have to do?

Confess.

[sighs]

I will make no claim
that the story

is based on a confession
from the actual killers,

but rather from
very reliable sources.

Mm.

Now, this story will be billed
as my version

of exactly what happened--

exactly what was said,
exactly what was done

at exactly what date
and what hour.

But I will not state,
declare, or claim

that I had the assistance
of any particular person.

And what happens
if they get indicted

on them kidnapping charges
in the coming days?

Well, if there's a trial,

the magazine won't publish
the story

until there's a verdict,

but I don't want to
wait for all that.

Once you sign that contract,
we begin,

and we'll need to keep
our meetings quiet.

I don't see any reason
why anybody should know

what's being discussed
in this office.

And even if we meet in secret,
things happen.

People talk. What then?

If I'm subpoenaed
for some reason,

I will invoke
my constitutional right

to withhold my sources.

I'll refuse to testify.

So, we have a deal?

[tense music plays]

♪♪

Well, if it isn't
my favorite Yankee,

Mr. Dan Wakefield.

I guess Strider's deputies
are gonna have to try

a little harder to keep you
out of the Delta, huh?

I guess so, yeah. [chuckles]

What a piss-poor turnout.

Yeah, well, this case is bigger
than any courthouse,

but you know
that firsthand, don't you?

What's eating at you?

Before the murder trial,

the case was all about
a wolf-whistle.

Once the press got wind
of Carolyn Bryant's testimony,

it turned into something else--
attempted rape.

The story about his father
really ties it all together,

-doesn't it?
-Now, listen--

Your paper justified
the boy's murder.

We just reported the facts,

and we did so with an editorial
assuring readers

that the details of
Till's father's execution

had no bearing
on this kidnapping case.

[door opens]

I guess you're about to find out

if any of that's true,
aren't you?

COURT CLERK: The grand jury
has reached decisions

in all of the cases
under consideration.

It's over.

No trial.

They're free.

No.

Don't leave the shop, Gene.

I-I-I'm fine.

Call Mama, will you?

I can't bear it.

[receiver clacks]

[telephone rings]

[receiver clatters]

[somber music plays]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[wringer whirring]

♪♪

[whirring stops]

♪♪

[switch clicking]

♪♪

[grunts]

♪♪

Emmett!

[sobbing]

♪♪

♪♪

[sobbing continues]

♪♪

[door opens]

♪♪

[door closes]

♪♪

♪♪

[sobs, sniffles]

I've been calling, baby.

Everybody has.

I am so sorry.

Washing machine's broke, Mama.

Okay.

Then we'll fix it.

Emmett was always doing laundry.

He had to have his clothes
just so.

That boy had too much pride
for his own good.

-Stop that.
-No, Mama. Don't you see?

He went and broke
the damn machine before he left,

and he kept it from me.

What you mean he broke it?

You haven't done laundry
in two months?

I was never home long enough.

Oh.

[clicking]

[sighs, sniffles]

[clinking]

[washing machine whirring]

[switch clicks, whirring stops]

Just needed to give it
a-a little TLC.

You always swoop in
to save the day, don't you?

On a day like today,

I wish that I could.

I just don't know how I'm gonna
get through the holidays.

[sighs]

[voice breaking] It'll be our
first Thanksgiving without him.

Meanwhile, those men are free
to carve their turkeys

and watch their boys open
presents on Christmas morning.

When I think of that,
when I think of--

of all that I'll miss,

of all that
they've taken from me,

I can't help but wonder

what more I could've done
to see to it

that they paid
for what they did.

Unh-unh.

[crying]

God'll see to it.

I-I should've fought harder.

I-I could've been louder
than those articles

about his father, and...

You did more than most women

could have done
in your position.

Most women would have taken
to their bed for months--

for years--

and they would've had
every right

to have done just that.

What if I had been-- been--

been harder on him,
like you were with me?

M-Maybe he--
he would still be here.

Enough.

That woman--

those monsters--

they poisoned the jury.

[sniffles]

Don't let them get
inside your head, too.

[sobs] But I can't get them out.

-I--
-You got to try, because--

because there are things
we'll never know.

♪♪

Like what really happened
to him.

♪♪

They took his body,
not his spirit.

♪♪

His death woke up the world,
Mamie.

♪♪

But I never wanted him
to be a martyr, Mama.

[crying] I know.

I-I never--

No, no, no, no.

I never wanted that.

♪♪

♪♪

To freedom.

-Freedom.
-To freedom.

-[glasses clink]
-All right.

Well, a-all right, al--
all right, all right.

Let's take it easy
on the swill, now.

I need you
thinking straight.

Straight as I'll ever be.

[chuckling] Okay.

So, I'd like to
start by, uh,

clearing up a rumor
that's been eating up

a lot of folks' time
since all this began.

Hmm.

Now, you had at least
two white men

and three Negroes
with you all that night,

-and I want their names.
-No, we were alone.

You even think about
printing anything else,

I'll tear that contract
up right now.

Don't act like you don't know
about the double jeopardy law.

These boys can't be tried again,
even with a confession,

but if they incriminate
someone else,

charges could be brought
against those parties.

Of course. Of course.

Y'all can't blame me
for digging, now, can you?

[chuckles] All right.

Uh, so, I want to start with,
uh, the night you took Emmett

from Mose Wright's home.

It was, uh, August 28th of 1955,
correct?

Yeah.

What sent you there?

My brother and me had heard
that this Chicago nigger

had gotten mouthy,
whistled at my sister-in-law.

One of my workers said
that he was staying

with the old preacher,

and so, we drove out to
Mose Wright's and asked for him,

and the preacher led us
right to him.

[thud]

-Please.
-You want out of this?

Stay down
and shut the hell up.

[engine rumbles]

[vehicle departs]

♪♪

So, when you got him,

did you take him
back to, uh, the market

for Mrs. Bryant to identify?

♪♪

-J.W.?
-Yeah?

You take him back to the market?

No.

Well, no reason to.

He didn't deny he was the one
done the talking,

so we didn't need her.
We knew.

We knew.

[doors open, close]

[engine revs]

♪♪

♪♪

After we left the uncle's,
we just went driving,

looking for a spot just to
scare some sense into the boy.

♪♪

Here he is.

The smart talker.

ROY:
Well, now, looky here.

Ain't saying much now,
boy, are you?

[whimpering]

♪♪

[liquid pouring]

Ahh.

Go.

♪♪

Come on. Go on.

♪♪

[whimpering]

What kinda poison
they pumping in you up north

to make you think it's okay
to run your filthy mouth

to my wife?

[screams, crying]

MILAM:
He was tough.

We never could scare him enough.

Throughout the whole ordeal,
he never even hollered.

[punches landing,
Emmett screaming]

♪♪

We drove around with him in
the back of the truck for hours.

He never even tried to run.

♪♪

All right, get him out.
Come on!

If folks haven't already started
looking for him, they will.

Well, why the hell
did you bring him here?

We got lost.

Well, I got fields to work,
I got farmhands gonna show up.

Take care of it.

♪♪

The boy was hopeless,
so we took him back to my place.

And that's where we whipped him.

[whip cracking,
Emmett screaming]

[door squeaks]

♪♪

♪♪

HUIE: The farmhands, uh,
said they saw you

with the boy at a plantation
run by your brother, Leslie.

No, we were at my shop,
like I just said to you.

♪♪

-Okay.
-Okay.

All right.

[whip cracking,
Emmett screaming]

♪♪

MILAM: He just kept saying
he wasn't afraid of us.

Kept saying he was
as good as us.

Just taunting us.

Even said that he had
white women.

♪♪

[gun clicks]

[weakly] Mama.

[gunshot]

Uh...

So you-- you whipped him
good at your place.

Then what?

We got back in my truck.

HUIE:
Could the boy walk on his own?

Yeah. Sure.

Was he bleeding?

MILAM:
Not much.

Pistol-whipping bruises
more than it cuts.

-So, you left your shop...
-Mm-hmm.

And we went to
Progressive Ginning Company.

We took an old gin fan

and made the boy load it up
on the back of the truck,

and then we drove off
looking for that bluff.

We were hell-bent
on finding that.

Was he alive
when y'all got there?

Yeah.

That's where we made him
undress.

♪♪

He didn't like that.

[both grunting]

And after,
we just kind of stood there

for a little while,
just hating each other.

♪♪

All right, get the fan.

And then I gave him a chance
to fix things.

I said, "You still had
white women?"

♪♪

He said, "Yeah."

♪♪

So, I stood there
and listened to him

throw that poison at me,
and I just made up my mind.

I was gonna make an example
out of him.

♪♪

So I shot him.

♪♪

Ready? One, two, three!

[groans]

One, two, three.

[splash]

[water bubbles]

[panting]

♪♪

ANNOUNCER: Headlines screamed
across the nation,

millions of words
were written about it,

a trial would be held,
yet the truth about

the Emmett Till killing
in Mississippi

remained hidden until now.

The brutal step-by-step account

of what happened on
that fateful night.

Get your copy ofLOOK early.

[somber music plays]

♪♪

♪♪

I don't know how much more
I can stand.

How I can go on.

These horrible lies they tell
to explain away

the killing of a child
in cold blood--

a child that they portrayed
as a man--

a man who never fought back
and who-- who--

who was defiant until the end.

They-- They aren't human.
They're beasts.

And that woman--

I don't even see
how she can sleep at night.

I used to think there was
a reason for all this pain--

that God had given me
a purpose and a mission,

and I was happy to accept it

when I thought that people were
listening, but here we are.

Some white man just put his name
on that, and that is it.

End of story!

It's only the end if you say so.

What can I say now?

Nothing I have said or ever
will say is going to matter,

because that trash
is now my son's legacy!

And the sick thing is,
if it weren't for this article,

people would have
forgotten about Emmett.

-Well, that's not true.
-Open a paper.

Turn on a television.
Emmett is old news now.

People are thinking
about what's next.

GENE: Come on, now.
That's not true, Mamie.

But it is!

I used to be a part
of the movement.

Now I am just sitting at home,
watching it unfold,

while folks like
Martin Luther King

and Rosa Parks are out there
making things happen.

I don't expect for you
to understand.

But I do.

You feel...

left behind.

♪♪

And you're full of regrets--

of all the things you wish
you had said but couldn't.

You couldn't...

because you didn't know.

Just like I couldn't have known
that I'd never get the chance

to try to be the father
he deserved.

Oh, I can't do this right now.

I can't take it,
your-- your tenderness

and-- and your kind words.

I am just not in the right mind.

Be angry, but do it with me.

Marry me.

Ridiculous.

What, you call that a proposal?

♪♪

How is it any more ridiculous

than all the other times
I've done it?

You remember when I asked you
to marry me

at the dinner table
last summer?

Mose was there.

Alma, too.

And Emmett.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

He was my protector.

♪♪

And I wasn't there for him
when he needed me most.

♪♪

Well, I don't think
he'd want you stuck.

I think he'd want you
to move forward.

And I'm not just talking
about with me.

Your words sparked
the whole world to fight.

But right now, it's not
the world who needs that spark.

It's you.

♪♪

I want it back.

♪♪

That spark.

Then get out there and find it.

[brakes squeal nearby]

♪♪

♪♪

[indistinct chatter]

♪♪

♪♪

I've been living in the moment
for too long.

Maybe it's time
I focus on what's next.

Mm-hmm.

There it is.

That spark.

A-Ask me again.

What?

That ridiculous question
of yours.

♪♪

What was it again?

[both laugh]

♪♪

♪♪

Will you marry me?

♪♪

Mm-hmm.

[laughter]

♪♪

[sighs]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[indistinct conversations]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Mrs. Bradley?

It's an honor. I'm Rita.

Oh, calling me Mamie's
just fine.

It's nice to meet you.

I remember my mama
skipping work

to get in line
for your son's viewing.

When she got home that night,
she just... held me.

She was saying how brave
you were,

how things were gonna
start changing

because of what you did.

She was right.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

MAMIE: When you find out
that you're gonna be a mother,

you have all these ideas
in your head

about how your baby's
gonna look

and who he's gonna be.

And then all of a sudden,
he's here,

and none of that stuff
matters anymore

because he decides
and you just let him be.

NEWS ANCHOR:
On December 5, 1955,

many of Montgomery's busses
were empty,

the result of a Negro boycott
that began

when Rosa Parks made
a momentous decision.

I didn't feel that

I was being treated
as a human being.

I refused to give up
the seat.

I said, "No."

MAMIE: And then, when he falls,

you blame yourself
for not being around enough,

or for being around too much.

And you can't help it.

You're a mother.

It's what we do.

DR. KING: The year-old protest
is officially called off,

and the Negro citizens
of Montgomery

are urged to return
to the busses tomorrow morning

on a non-segregated basis.

[cheers and applause]

MAMIE:
There will come a day

when you'll be forced
to let go,

and all you can do is hope
that you've done enough

to prepare him for the world.

REPORTER: ...Arkansas,
where nine Negro students

were blocked
from entering the school

by the National Guard.

Today, on what marks
the 8-year anniversary

of the death of Emmett Till,
Martin Luther King Jr.

and nearly 250,000 people
from across the United States

marched on Washington
for jobs and freedom.

[crowd chanting "now!"]

MAMIE: I thought I failed
to prepare you, Emmett.

I tried to ignore it
for some time-- that blame--

but it was always here,
buried deep in my bones.

I kept myself busy, so I didn't
have to feel it.

I'd just go, go, go because
I felt like

I was part of something big.

It was a great distraction...

[TV turns off]

...until I wasn't
part of anything at all.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

I had to sit in the stillness

and feel my feelings,

until the truth
finally revealed itself to me.

I didn't fail to prepare you
for the world.

The world failed you.

♪♪

It wasn't ready for you,
my boy.

My Bobo.

It still isn't.

But I believe it will be,
one day.

I have to believe...

because of all the little boys
out there just like you.

♪♪

Boys whose mamas raised them
to live in a better world

than the world
they were born into.

[solemn music plays]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

I'm just glad it's over with.

-REPORTER: Mrs. Bryant?
-I'm fine.

I want to say that I feel that

Emmett was more or less
loaned to me--

that perhaps I wasn't his mother

in the sense that other women
are mothers to their children,

but I appreciate the 14 years
that we spent together.

It was a joy watching
the unfolding of his mind

and the development of his body,

and I don't regret a minute of
the time that we spent together.

I'm just sorry
that it was so short.

♪♪

Repair and Synchronization by
Easy Subtitles Synchronizer 1.0.0.0