Original subtitles

["Sincerely" by The Moonglows playing]

[singing along] ♪ Sincerely ♪

♪ Oh, yes, sincerely ♪

♪ 'Cause I love you so dearly ♪

[both laugh]

♪ Please say you'll be mine ♪

♪ Sincerely ♪

[chuckles]

♪ Oh, you know ♪

♪ How I love you ♪

♪ I'll do anything for you ♪

♪ Please say you'll be mine ♪

♪ Oh, Lord Won't you tell me ♪

♪ Why I love that girlie so ♪

[song fades]

[uneasy music plays]

-[mellow music playing] -[indistinct chatter]

[indistinct chatter]

[guard] Are you looking for something?

No, I'm just doing a little shopping.

[guard] We also have shoes in the basement.

Do your other customers know that too?

[Emmett] Mama.

Which one do you like better?

Pardon me.

[sighs]

I think I like this one.

Will you really need a wallet while you're down there?

Oh, Mama. Please?

Okay. Fine.

Let's just go pay for it and go home now.

[music playing on car stereo]

[indistinct chatter]

[music stops]

-[ding] -[man on TV] Sing out.

[boy singing along to tv] ♪ I love Bosco ♪

♪ It's rich and chocolaty ♪

♪ Chocolate-flavored Bosco Is mighty good for me ♪

♪ Mama puts it in my milk for extra energy ♪

♪ Bosco gives me iron and sunshine vitamin D ♪

♪ Oh, I love Bosco That's the drink for me ♪

-[laughter] -Whoa! My man!

You did that.

You didn't stutter, not one time.

Now, Bo, you know

it's time for you to go to bed.

[Bo] Aw...

[Alma] You know you got a big day tomorrow.

Come on. Give Grandma a hug.

I'll see you when you get back.

[Gene] Bring it in.

Good night, Mr. G.

[Gene] All right.

Oh.

You two don't get married before I get back.

Can't get married without my best man.

Good night.

[Gene] What? Is it my bedtime too?

Could be.

[Gene laughs]

[picks up key]

Good night.

[kisses]

[Mamie] I'll call you after Bo gets on the train.

[Gene] Mrs. Spearman.

[Alma] She'll see you tomorrow.

-[Gene] All right. Good night. -[Alma] Good night.

[door opens]

[door closes]

What's wrong, Mamie?

We've never been apart this long.

He's just going to see his cousins.

It's not a bad thing for him to know where he come from.

Well, Chicago is all he needs to know.

I don't want him seeing himself

the way those people are seen down there.

Those people like me?

Even you left Mississippi, Mama.

Mamie, Bo is growing up.

You gonna have to let him go.

[smacks lips] All right, I know that face.

That is the face of

"Mama, mind your business, and go home."

Where's my pocket book?

[Mamie] Mm-hmm. Right here.

[Alma] Oh, there it is.

You need to get you some rest too.

-[Mamie] I will. -[Alma] Come on, baby.

-I'll call you tomorrow. -All right.

[door opens]

-Good night, Mama. -Good night, darlin'.

[door closes, locks]

[sighs]

[faint melancholy music playing]

[snoring quietly]

[alarm clock buzzes]

[man on radio] A delightful day

here in our town of Chicago

and I presume that you're, sort of,

munching on Wrigley's Spearmint,

and you're all relaxed,

and pleasantly situated wherever you are.

The sun's probably shining

in your heart and your town too.

[Dizzy Gillespie's "He Beeped When He Sho2ulda Bopped" plays]

♪ There was a guy who had some brand new tricks ♪

♪ Played his horn with some crazy licks ♪

♪ The thing that made him such a flop ♪

♪ Was he beeped ♪

[singing along] ♪ When he should've... bopped ♪

♪ That same old guy jumped right up on the stand ♪

♪ But... But he couldn't seem to dig the band ♪

[knocking on door]

♪ Thought he was the cream of the crop but ♪

♪ He beeped when he should have bopped ♪

I got this ready for you.

♪ All the cats would gather around ♪

♪ To see what he was tryin' to prove ♪

[laughing]

♪ But anyone could plainly see ♪

♪ He was draggin' them out of the groove ♪

♪ At last the leader turned around and said ♪

♪ Listen, Pops, you had better stop ♪

♪ Oh, there you go You did it again ♪

♪ You just beeped when you should've bopped ♪

-[Mamie squeals] -[laughs]

All right, now, you're gonna miss your train.

-[sax solo playing] -[Bo humming along]

Bo, when you get down there...

Oh, not again, Mama.

I've already been to Mississippi.

Only one time before,

and you started a fight with another little boy.

[stutters] He was picking on me.

You're in the right to stand up for yourself,

but that's not what I'm talking about.

[sighs, smacks lips]

Well, they have a different set of rules

for Negroes down there.

Are you listening?

Yes.

You have to be extra careful with White people.

You can't risk looking at them the wrong way.

I know.

Bo.

Be small down there.

Like this?

[Mamie chuckles]

Instead of your father's ring,

how about you wear the cufflinks

we got you last Christmas?

They'll look so handsome on you.

No, Mama.

I wanna wear the ring.

[sighs] Thank you.

Go on downstairs.

I need to finish getting ready myself.

[uneasy music playing]

[train brakes hiss]

-[sax solo playing] -[Bo humming along]

Ah, morning, Mamie!

[Mamie] Morning, Preacher. Good morning, Wheeler.

Hi, Miss Mamie. Hi, Bo.

You're leaving Chicago too soon.

You were only here a few days.

I didn't need no more days than that.

I got to see some family, a few friends.

Maybe we get you to come down...

-...see us. -[conductor] All aboard!

I like it just fine out here, Preacher.

All right, now.

Bo, stay close to your cousins.

Preacher, you and Aunty Lizzie

make sure Bo calls and writes every chance he gets.

I need to know he's okay.

Don't worry.

Me, Lizzie, and the boys will have a stern eye on him.

Goodbye, Mamie.

All right, now. Come on, Bobo.

Buh-bye, Mama.

Oh, Bo! You didn't kiss me goodbye.

[sighs] Mama. I gotta go.

Listen to Preacher.

Stay with your cousins at all times.

Be extra careful.

I already know.

You know what?

I won't need to keep the time on my vacation.

Wind it every day.

[conductor] Last call! Train's leaving!

[train whistle blows]

[whistle blows]

[stutters] Buh-bye, Mama.

Come on, Bobo. Aight, Mamie.

[train brakes hiss]

[sentimental music playing]

[whimpers]

[pensive music playing]

[conductor] Time to move now.

[train chugging]

[pensive music continues]

[indistinct chatter]

-[fly buzzing] -Now,

all you gotta do is pinch the bract right here,

so you don't get your fingertips...

[Bo chuckles]

Hey, look at the size of that bird.

Whoa!

Where'd you get that ring?

Oh, it was my daddy's.

He died a hero in the war.

[boy] Well, let me try it on.

Um, maybe later.

All right.

[woman 1 exclaims]

-Bo? -[woman] Is he all right?

[boy] Bobo!

Come on.

[Bo] Roar!

From the depths of an ancient tomb,

echoes a sound that shakes the world.

Meet the mummy, Simmy!

Stop! [laughs]

You gonna get us in trouble.

Or better yet, fired. I'm done picking these fields.

What do y'all do with all this cotton anyway?

We sell it.

Mr. Frederick, who own the land, take his share.

I go to market with our haul.

-[Bo] Sounds pretty square. -[Moses] Hmm.

Pa, you gonna let him sass you that way?

What way?

The boy doesn't know where his clothes come from.

[all laughing]

Nah.

I take it back, Bobo. Stay off the farm.

[laughter]

City boy won't even know how he found a whuppin'.

[laughter continues]

[lively jazz music playing]

[insects chirring]

[lively jazz music continues on car stereo]

[boys laughing]

[music stops]

Yes, he is.

[boy] Damn near pass out.

[client 1] Come on, sit down. Sit down, come on.

Hey, young boy.

[client 2] How you doin' there, young fella?

Come on, learn somethin'.

Well, I'm about raised from the dead

by all this excitement.

[client 2] Pay attention here,

you gonna let us learn you something.

I'll make damn sure.

-[Bo huffs] -[client 2] I'mma do what I do.

[cash register clicking]

[cash register dings]

[coins rattle]

[Wheeler] Thank you, ma'am.

You look like a movie star.

What?

Where's Bobo?

He's in there.

Simmy. See to Bobo while he's inside.

[indistinct chatter]

See?

[Simmy] Come on.

[stutters] Bye!

Buh-bye!

-[Simmy] Come on, let's go! -[Bo] Yeah?

[wolf-whistles]

[chuckling]

[tense music playing]

[Johnny] She getting her gun. She getting her gun, y'all.

Come on! Move!

-Get up, now! Come on! -Move!

[Johnny] Move! She goin' to get a gun, y'all!

-[Simmy] Get in! -[client 3] Just lay low.

[Wheeler] Come on, Mau!

[engine revs]

[tires screeching]

[Simmy gasping]

[tense music fades]

[downcast music playing]

[phone rings]

[indistinct conversation]

[indistinct chatter]

[men chattering]

[sighs]

[jazz music playing faintly on speakers]

Why aren't you at work?

Is everything okay?

That trip we planned to take Bo on?

Let's go now.

You wanna go right now?

You said you weren't feeling that well.

I was just missing Bo.

[sighs] I'm still missing Bo.

We have never been apart this long,

and he's gonna be gone another week.

I need to keep doing things

to take my mind off of this feelin'.

Okay.

I can't go right now, but, uh,

we'll try in a few days.

Promise me we'll go on the trip?

Of course.

[rock 'n' roll song playing]

[chatter and laughter]

[girl 1] I'm trying not to act so silly! [giggles]

[girl 2] Better watch yourself.

I don't know, 'cause when he looks at me,

I just lose my mind! [laughs]

[girl 2] Oh! But just be yourself.

Okay. I'll try. It's gonna be all right.

[indistinct chatter]

[rock 'n' roll song continues]

[Wheeler] Oh! Nice try. [laughs]

[Bo] It's a high-speed competition, huh?

They call you city boy, or somethin'?

[all laugh]

Think you so damn funny, huh?

Why you whistle like that?

Look, it's been three days, okay?

And we haven't heard nothin' more

about what I did in Money.

That's 'cause no one knows your face 'round here.

That don't mean they not in one of 'em cars

looking for us.

Look, I said I was sorry.

We gotta tell Pappa.

We all agreed we wouldn't say anything.

[Simmy] He'll make Bobo go home.

So what?

You don't see what's been going on around here?

They killin' Negroes

for doing way less than what you did in Money.

You ain't no White man, Bobo. You one of us!

Hey, leave him alone, Maurice.

Mrs. Bryant must've kept it to herself.

No one has to know.

[people chattering]

[rock 'n' roll song continues]

-[women chuckle] -Willie Mae, Ollie,

I swear you two are losing on purpose.

Yeah, well, you must have all the luck tonight, Mamie.

-[Ollie] Mm-hmm. -[Mamie chuckles]

Now, we've been here all night,

and you still haven't told us what's bothering you.

I'm fine.

I got a letter today from Aunty Lizzie.

She said Bo is really happy. That's all I needed to hear.

[Ollie] Mm.

-[Willie Mae] That's real good, Mamie. -[Mamie] Mm-hmm.

My boy, Curtis, just made it down to Mississippi.

I already told Uncle,

"Make sure he see Bo tomorrow."

Bo would like that.

Yeah.

[Mamie] It'd be nice for him to have another friend...

-...from the city there with him. -[Willie Mae] Mm-hmm.

[Mamie] Oh, he just doesn't understand

how different things are down there.

Yeah.

Aunty Lizzie said Bo's been working the fields.

-[Ollie] Oh! -[all laugh]

I can't imagine Bo in the hot sun

all day pulling some cotton.

[Willie Mae] No.

But Aunty Lizzie said I raised one nice, hardworking boy.

-That's my Bo. -[Willie Mae] Yes.

[jazz music playing faintly on speakers]

Can't believe he's been gone a week.

Gene and I wanna take a trip soon,

but I really wanna go down to Mississippi

and bring my son home.

If Bo could just get his feet back

onto the Chicago soil, he'd be one happy kid.

I... I don't know why I said that.

[Willie Mae] Looks like your little winning streak

is over, Mamie.

[Willie Mae laughs]

-Well, look at that. -[all chuckle]

[Ollie] You wanna play one more hand?

Sure.

But you deal this time.

[Ollie] Absolutely. You still gonna lose.

-These cards, girl. -[Willie Mae chuckles]

[announcer on radio] A grand jury has declined

to indict the suspect

for the murder of Reverend George Washington Lee,

a Mississippi Negro man killed while driving his car.

Lee lead the Belzoni, Mississippi NAACP

in his efforts to register hundreds of Negroes

-to vote for the first time. -[door opens]

[laughter and chatter in other room]

[news announcement continues indistinctly]

[door opens]

Pappa, you and Mama ain't asleep?

[Moses] Mm.

How can we sleep when y'all ain't home yet?

What'd you boys get into tonight?

Nothing much, Daddy. Just taking Bobo around.

[Moses] Mm.

All right. Night, Ma. Night, Pa.

-[Simmy] Good night. -Night night.

Good night.

Bobo!

We leaving early tomorrow

to mail that letter out to your mama, you hear?

Okay. Good night.

[Moses and Lizzie] Good night.

-[whispers] That was close. -[quiet laughter]

[announcer] ...after having registered dozens of Negroes

to vote in the local runoff election.

No charges have been made.

[sentimental music playing]

[switch clicks]

[car pulls up]

[car door opens]

[footsteps approaching]

[banging on door]

[banging on door]

[Roy] Preacher!

Preacher!

[Moses] Who is it?

[Roy] It's Mr. Bryant.

I wanna talk to you about that boy.

[hesitates]

Sir?

[Roy] I want that boy

who did the talking down in Money.

Talking, sir? What talking?

[Roy] Open up this door, Preacher!

[banging on door]

[Simmy] Bobo!

[Roy] You better open up this door, Preacher!

[Simmy whispers] Bobo! Wake up!

[banging on door continues]

Leave me alone.

Get up! Someone's come!

[Roy] You know who I'm talking about!

So what?

They've come for you!

[Moses] I don't know.

Who's come?

I don't know what you mean, Mr. Bryant.

[Roy] You got that boy from Chicago.

-[door bangs] -[Moses groans]

[tense music playing]

You that big mouth nigger?

Who are you?

[Roy] Get your clothes on.

Mr. Bryant, you ain't got to do this.

He just a young boy.

[Roy] Better shut them eyes.

-[Simmy] Oh! -[Moses] Simmy!

[Roy] You don't need no goddamn socks, boy.

I... I don't wear shoes without socks.

[Bo gasping]

Don't talk back to them!

[Roy] We just gonna teach him a lesson.

[Moses] Stay right here, Simmy!

-[Lizzie] Please! -[Roy] Move!

-[Lizzie] Don't take him! -[Roy] Move!

I'll whup him if he's done something wrong!

[grunts] We'll give you money.

[Roy] Watch out.

[Milam] We don't need no money!

[Moses] Please!

The boy ain't got good sense.

[Milam] He's gonna learn!

But, Mr. Bryant!

-[Lizzie gasps] -[gun cocks]

[Milam] What'd you say to my brother?

[footsteps recede]

[car door opens]

[Bo grunts]

[Roy] All right. Get up.

[gasping]

Carolyn!

Is this the right nigger?

[Bo breathing shakily]

That's the one.

[Roy] All right.

[Bo gasping]

[Bo] Get off me.

Shut up, boy! Shut up.

[Bo struggling]

-[Roy] All right. -[Bo grunting]

[car engine starting]

[despairful music playing]

[grunts]

[car drives off]

[Milam in distance] Look at me, boy!

[Bo crying in pain]

Hold him down!

-[Roy] Watch it, now! -[Bo coughs]

-[Milam grunts] -[blow lands]

[Milam] Shut your mouth!

[mocking laughter]

Come on. Get up! Get up!

Hold him up!

-[Milam grunting] -[object striking]

[Bo screams in pain]

[distant, indistinct conversation]

[unnerving music playing]

[object thuds]

-[Milam grunts] -[object thudding]

[breathing heavily]

[phone rings]

Hello?

[Mamie whimpering]

Get out of the way, Gene! I gotta get to Money!

Money? Money? Mamie, what's going on?

They took Bo!

-Who took Bo? -I...

Preacher told me two men came and got Bo last night.

I couldn't hear anything else after that.

-I gotta find Bo! -Mamie! Mamie! Mamie!

Mamie, let's go inside, call your mama,

try and get in touch with Preacher and Aunty Lizzie

for more information, okay?

-Come on. Come on. -[Mamie sniffles]

We give you all the glory, Lord.

-Glory to God. -Yes.

Glory to God. Yes, Lord. Glory to God.

-Yes. -[Alma] Mm-hmm.

He's going to bring him back to you, baby.

[door opens and closes]

Yes, ma'am.

[whispers] Alma.

Thank you.

[John] Mamie.

Alma.

You weren't going to tell me?

I called your wife.

[scoffs]

No matter the differences between me and your mother,

I'm still your father.

Mamie,

we're gonna find Bo.

-Mm. [sniffles] -Sit down.

I brought your cousin along to help us.

Do you remember Rayfield? Rayfield Mooty.

Came by the house a lot when you was a kid.

He works with some powerful Negro people

who can help us find Bo.

It's been a long time, ma'am.

-[Alma] Nice to see you again. -[Rayfield] Mm.

Mamie.

Oh. I'm sorry. [sniffles]

Thank you for coming, Mr. Mooty.

I've, uh...

I've been in touch with Mr. William Huff,

counsel for the NAACP chapter here in Chicago.

He wants to meet with you first thing tomorrow morning.

I've included the address to his office.

Here.

He has political connections

throughout the state of Mississippi.

And he's in regular contact with Mayor Daley,

Congressman Dawson, and Governor Stratton.

I do know the NAACP,

and it sounds like he knows the right people

[voice breaking] who can help me find Bo.

Well, I'll meet you in Mr. Huff's office

tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.

-[John] Thanks, Ray. -[Rayfield] Mm-hmm.

I will see you soon.

[softly] Hey.

[Dizzy Gillespie's "He Beeped When He Shoulda Bopped" plays]

♪ At last the leader turned around and said ♪

♪ Listen, Pops, you had better stop ♪

♪ Oh, there you go, you did it again ♪

♪ You just beeped when you should have bopped ♪

[song ends]

[record crackles]

[Dizzy Gillespie's "He Beeped When He Shoulda Bopped" plays]

[sighs]

[song fading]

[tense music playing]

[indistinct conversation]

[woman] It's on your calendar,

and you have the meeting right after that.

Morning!

[man] Hi, John. How are you today?

[indistinct conversations]

[Rayfield] Mr. Huff, this is Mrs. Bradley.

Thank you for meeting with us, Mr. Huff.

-[Rayfield] And Mr. Mobley. -[William] Yes, thank you.

I have great respect for your cousin.

His work with the United Steelworkers has helped

to make it one of the strongest Negro unions.

-I didn't know that. -[William] Mm-hmm.

Are you employed?

I work for the Air Force.

She's the only Negro woman in the office.

Mrs. Bradley.

You two aren't married?

Um...

No.

Not yet, anyway.

Where's Emmett's father?

Louis Till died overseas about 10 years ago.

Uh, during the war.

And Mr. Bradley?

You have a lot of questions for me, Mr. Huff.

And none of them seem to have anything to do with my son.

[William] I've been briefed on your case.

Bo is not a case.

I've drafted two telegrams to send.

One to Governor White in Mississippi.

The other to Governor Stratton,

here in Illinois.

It's important they know about Emmett.

We're currently investigating the murders

of Lamar Smith and Reverend Lee.

They did a lot of work getting Negroes registered to vote.

Because of what happened to them,

the Negro press in Mississippi

started to write about Emmett's kidnapping,

but it's not creating enough pressure needed

to force them into a state-wide search.

Now, as your counsel,

I'd like to utilize all of the press here in Chicago.

It's more likely to get picked up

by other cities that way.

You're gonna have to talk to reporters,

speak in front of cameras.

So... we like to make sure

that the person who's telling the story is in public favor.

It's better that I ask you questions now

than some reporter finding something later.

[hesitating]

The reverend and Mr. Lee,

I heard they were killed right before Bo got down there.

[Gene] Mamie...

I know these Citizen Councils are everywhere in Mississippi.

You think they had a part in any of it?

When the message to White people

is to stop Negroes from voting or advancing,

by any means short of violence,

it's only a matter of time

before someone doesn't stop short of it.

[Gene] Let's just focus on finding Bo.

Why do you call him "Bo"?

When I was carrying him,

my mama's friend would bring him gifts

all the time, and say,

"Here's another one for little Bobo."

After he was born, it just stuck.

He was a perfect baby.

Born breech, and had his share of problems, but...

he was a perfect baby.

[sentimental music playing]

Hi, we live across the street

and read about what happened to Emmett.

Everybody in the neighborhood knows that sweet little boy.

[indistinct chatter]

[Gene] But maybe somebody will read the paper,

and they'll know Bo's ours.

[Mamie] I don't care what anyone thinks Bo did

or did not do in that store.

They took my child, and I need him back.

[phone rings]

Hello? Mr. Huff!

Yes, yes, yes. I'll get Mamie.

[whispers] Sounds like he has good news.

Mr. Huff?

He wrote back?

The governor wants to talk to Mr. Huff

about what happened to Bo.

Thank you.

Thank you for the update, Mr. Huff.

Okay. I'll be in touch.

[soft knock on door]

[door opens]

[footsteps approaching]

[sighs softly]

[gulps]

A reporter called me.

He didn't wanna tell you himself.

Bo's body was found in a river.

Preacher just identified him to the sheriff.

He... He recognized the ring Bo was wearing.

I'm so sorry, Mamie.

He's... [shudders]

He's dead.

[grim music playing]

[dramatic note plays]

[imperceptible]

[sorrowful music playing]

[audience on TV laughing]

[reporter on TV] This is a breaking news bulletin.

We interrupt this broadcast

to report a breaking news story.

The body of Emmett Louis Till has been found dead

in the Tallahatchie River near Money, Mississippi.

Till, a Negro boy from Chicago, was kidnapped

while visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi.

Again, that breaking news.

The body of Emmett Louis Till has been found in Mississippi.

We'll have details ahead...

[broadcaster on radio] ...and J.W. Milam

were already in police custody

after admitting to the kidnapping,

but they now face possible indictment

for the murder of Till.

[sheriff] We have proved by two or three witnesses

that the body found in Tallahatchie River

was that of Emmett Till.

We proved that the body had the ring...

[man on TV] ...this lynching

that the state of Mississippi has decided

to maintain this White supremacy

by murdering children.

Look, it was because he was a boy,

that's why they went there.

They had to prove that they were superior.

They had to prove it

by taking away a 14-year-old boy.

Mamie, you need to eat something.

[man] The killers of the boy felt free to lynch him

because there is,

-in the entire state... -[knocking on door]

...no restraining influence of decency.

Hate.

It's like a virus in the blood

-of the Mississippians. -[Gene sighs]

They can't help it.

[reporter] That was Roy Wilkins...

-[door opens] -...the executive director of the NAACP...

[Rayfield] You mind if I speak with Mamie?

[reporter] ...giving his reaction to the recent killing

of 14-year-old Negro boy, Emmett Till.

Burial preparations by local sheriffs

have already started being made

in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi,

where Till's body was found.

[Rayfield] Mamie?

[reporter] Negro leaders are calling

on local and federal officials

to investigate the murder, and to indict J.W. Milam...

Uh... [sighs]

-My sincere condolences... -Stop.

I can't.

I need Bo's body sent back here.

I can't have him buried in Mississippi.

Mississippi won't make that deal with you.

Then make them.

I'm sure Mr. Huff can get Mayor Daley

or the governor to talk to somebody.

Those people in Mississippi

are trying to dump Bo in the ground

like he's just another body.

He is my baby.

I need to see him.

I'll speak with Mr. Huff.

Thank you.

You know... [clears throat]

Mamie, you have the public's attention right now.

And, uh,

it would be in a politician's best interest

to help you during an election year.

There's an opportunity in that.

Uh...

Some organizers and executive members of the NAACP

have been speaking with the justice department

about creating legislation

that would make lynching a federal crime.

What happened to Reverend Lee was a lynching.

Lamar Smith. A lynching.

-Emmett... -I...

[Rayfield fumbles for words]

[Rayfield chuckles slightly] uh...

We have an opportunity

to use this moment to help us pass this legislation.

Might even help you get an indictment.

Maybe even a conviction.

I can't think about that right now.

I just need Bo's body sent back here.

Well, the public's paying attention right now, Mamie.

See, this doesn't just have to be about Emmett.

[loudly] Mr. Mooty, my son is dead!

[voice breaking] Make sure Mr. Huff handles this today.

Yes, ma'am.

[car door opens]

[car door closes]

[engine starts]

[car driving off]

[melancholy music playing]

[Gene] Rayfield's ready to take us to the train station.

I, uh, got you a wheelchair.

You know, just in case.

I don't want you falling down.

Preacher called again.

He keeps trying to apologize to you, Mamie.

Aunty Lizzie's coming up here.

He has to stay behind to finish working the fields

and talk to the prosecutor.

I keep asking myself...

"Why is this happening?

"Why did he take my child from me?

[voice breaking] "What am I supposed to do now?"

[Mamie grunts]

Yeah. I have to say goodbye to Mama.

Mama.

[Alma sniffles]

[smacks lips, cries quietly]

I'm the one who told him to go down there.

I wanted him to go down there.

I told him to go down.

[tearfully] I told him to go down there.

[cries]

[train chugging]

[train horn blares]

[announcer speaking indistinctly on PA]

[indistinct chatter]

[brakes squealing]

[train stops]

[breathes deeply]

[whimpers]

-[man] All right. Get that. -[camera flash popping]

[men speaking indistinctly]

[crying quietly]

[mournful music playing]

[Mamie screams] Oh, my God!

My boy! [bawling]

My boy! My only child!

My only boy!

Oh, my Lord! Get him out of that box!

Get him out of the box!

Get him out of the box! He can't breathe!

He can't breathe. My Lord!

Oh, Lord, have mercy!

Help me!

[continues bawling]

-Oh, my God! -[camera flash popping]

Oh, Lord, have mercy!

Show me what you want me to do.

Oh, Lord, show me what you want me to do

and make me able to do it!

My Lord!

I need to prepare you.

Remove the sheet.

[Mamie gasps] Oh, God. [shuddering]

-[Mamie whimpers] -[Gene shuddering]

[Gene sniffles]

-[Gene grunts] -Everyone, leave us.

[Gene grunting softly]

[Mamie continues shuddering]

[door opens]

-[whimpers, breathing shakily] -[door closes]

[sniffles]

[exhales sharply]

[breathing shakily]

[low somber music playing]

[breathes deeply]

[sniffling]

[continues sniffling]

[whimpers]

[bawling]

[continues bawling]

[music slowly rising]

[intense somber music playing]

[Gene] How long will it take you

to turn the body over to us?

Figure out the next step.

Talk to the church.

[Mamie] Gene, can you go back to my place

and bring back Emmett's black suit?

The one he wore last Christmas.

Mama can tell you exactly where it is.

And make sure to get my black dress

that Bo would approve of.

And his matching tie.

Emmett loved this suit.

It's how he'd like to be seen.

Seen?

Mamie, Bo's in no kind of shape to be seen by anybody.

No, he's in just the right shape.

The whole world has to see what happened to my son.

[man] Mrs. Bradley, can I at least fix him up a bit?

Just to make him more...

No one's going to believe what I just saw.

No.

They have to see it for themselves.

[intense somber music continues]

-[indistinct chatter] -[camera flash popping]

[reporter] Ms. Bradley, what would you like to say

to the men who did this?

[reporter 2] What's that smell?

That smell is my son's body.

He came home to me reeking of racial hatred.

His face was bludgeoned.

His teeth are gone.

He was shot in the head.

And now I want America to bear witness.

Come with me, please.

[reporter 1] Right here, Ms. Bradley.

[reporter 2] Ms. Bradley, right here.

[reporter 3] Do you have a message for the perpetrators?

[reporter 2] Will there be a service, Ms. Bradley?

Gene, please come be with me.

[camera flash pops]

[intense somber music continues]

[radio host] News of an open-casket funeral

for the slain 14-year-old Emmett Till

has spread throughout the country.

Many people were in shock over the brutal slaying

and couldn't believe something like this

could happen to a child.

[woman] My heart goes out to her. I'm a mother too.

It could be any one of us.

[man] The right thing is to show America, and the world,

exactly what happened.

[man 2] We know the boy was killed,

but you're making a freak show of his death.

[woman 2] I think she brave.

[man 3] Can't we just grieve in peace?

[man 4] This stuff ain't gonna stop till we see it.

I support her.

[Mamie on radio] It is my opinion that the guilt begins

-with Mrs. Bryant... -[cash register dings]

...and I wanna see Mrs. Bryant punished,

those two men punished,

and any other persons who were in on this thing.

The pressure should start

from the president of the United States,

all the way down to the township

of Money, Mississippi.

I won't rest until that happens,

even if I have to go to Money, Mississippi myself.

[radio host] Do you have any evidence

bearing on this case?

[Mamie] I do know that this is my son.

[indistinct chatter]

[sniffles]

[whispers] You're not just my Bo anymore.

[Lizzie] Mamie...

[sniffles] Aunty Lizzie.

Simmy and Maurice stayed back with their daddy.

It was probably too much.

[sighs]

I'm so sorry.

When those men came, I tried.

We all tried. [sighs]

I ain't going back, Mamie.

I packed my stuff up,

and I'm staying here for good.

Preacher and the boys will join me.

I can't look, Mamie.

We have to.

[crying]

[exhales sharply]

[stifling sob]

[bawling]

[somber organ music playing]

[man singing] ♪ When peace like a river ♪

[whispers] I'm sorry, Ms. Mamie.

♪ Attendeth my way ♪

Bo... Bo.

♪ When sorrows like sea ♪

♪ Billows roll ♪

♪ Whatever my lot ♪

♪ Thou hast taught me to say ♪

♪ It is well ♪

♪ It is well ♪

♪ With my soul ♪

♪ It is well ♪

[choir] ♪ It is well ♪

[man] ♪ With my soul ♪

[choir] ♪ With my soul ♪

[man and choir] ♪ It is well ♪

♪ It is well ♪

♪ With my soul ♪

[man] It is well

[choir] It is well

[man] With my soul

[choir] With my soul

[man and choir] It is well

It is well

With my soul

[Mamie] My child is dead,

and she is going to be fine.

Carolyn Bryant is going to be fine.

You know, to get a murder indictment

on two White men in Mississippi is not easy.

You did that, Mamie. [chuckles softly]

Now...

Their defense...

is going to try to create doubt

about the body being Emmett's.

There's no body, there's no murder conviction,

and Bryant and Milam will only face kidnapping charges.

You know your child better than anyone.

You saw the body soon after.

There is no testimony like a mother's.

[pensive music playing]

Aren't we going to your mama's tonight?

I need to go to Mississippi for the trial.

I can testify that it was Bo's body found in the river.

When do you want us to go?

Gene, I have to go without you.

-What? -Mr. Mooty has arranged for me to meet some people

-down there. -If you're going to Mississippi,

-I'm going with you. -Mr. Huff and Mr. Mooty

don't think that's a good idea,

-and I agree with them. -I don't care what they think!

They keep telling us

what to do and who you can talk to.

And I go along with it because I lost Bo too.

I would do anything for him.

You tell me, Mamie.

How is risking your life gonna help Bo?

This is what they're writing about me down there.

They're making me out to be some kind of jezebel.

Two reporters called to ask

about my ex-husbands and about you.

Mr. Huff was right.

I'm on trial like the people who killed Bo.

Jurors will be watching me, and reading these stories

when they decide if the men who murdered my son go free.

I have to protect my image

if it can help get justice for Bo.

I should be going with you, Mamie.

I need you to be there for me in a different way right now.

You're not gonna change your mind?

You know me well enough

to answer that question for yourself.

[grim music playing]

[reporter on TV] Not since the Tallahatchie River flooded

some 20 or 30 years ago

that the townspeople had more to talk about than this trial.

[man 1] I can't understand how a civilized mother

could put a dead body of her child on public display!

[man 2] I think that this is a result of the NAACP

trying to make something big...

-[knock on door] -...out of just an ordinary

criminal affair in Mississippi.

[Alma] You're not going.

Mamie, it's too dangerous

for you to go down to Mississippi right now.

I heard the sheriffs are passing along

Negro license plate numbers to the Klan members.

Mr. Huff and Mr. Mooty already have plans

for me to safely travel.

I'll fly to Memphis first.

And then, some people from the NAACP

are going to drive me to Clarksdale.

And then, their field secretary will pick me up

and drive me to someone's house

in a place called Mound Bayou.

[John] You want to go alone?

I'm trying to be strong for Bo.

[Alma] What are you gonna do down there?

Something you can't.

[smacks lips]

If my testimony can help in any way,

I have to go.

I have to be there for my child.

And what about my child?

I'm goin' with ya.

I know this is not what we agreed on,

but it's better for me to go down there with her

than for her to be there alone.

You don't have to worry. I'mma be there with you.

I promise.

I don't only need you when I'm broken, Daddy.

I am goin' with you.

Thank you.

Mama, I know you don't agree...

[Alma] No.

But I know you have to do it.

["I Will Move On Up a Little Higher" playing]

♪ One a-these mornings ♪

♪ Soon one morning ♪

♪ I'm gonna lay down my cross ♪

♪ Get me a crown ♪

[man] Mound Bayou has been here for over 70 years.

It's a all-Negro town.

We run all our own businesses and all our own schools.

All the Negroes attending the trial

will be staying here.

This is the safest place for 'em.

Dr. Howard created the Regional Council

for Negro Leadership here in Mound Bayou.

He's also the chief surgeon at the Taborian Hospital.

He built a lot of businesses here,

including a really successful life insurance company.

That's how I met him.

He gave me my first job.

♪ Going home one day and tell my story ♪

♪ I've been coming over hills and mountain ♪

♪ Gonna drink from the Christian fountain ♪

♪ Your know all of God's sons and daughters that morning ♪

♪ Will drink that ole healing water ♪

♪ And we gonna live... ♪

[song stops]

Thank you for driving us, Mr. Evers.

Please, ma'am, call me Medgar.

Mrs. Bradley?

Those pictures of your son in the magazine...

changed people's lives.

My wife, she's here with our son.

And we're both helping with some of

the investigation work for the trial.

Now, I promise you...

we are doing everything we can

to get some sort of justice for Emmett Till.

We call Dr. Howard's house "The Black Command Center."

Reporters from all the colored press

work out of here during the trial.

They also help with some of

the investigation work for the trial.

And what kind of investigation y'all are gonna be doing?

[Medgar] We're looking for witnesses

who'll be brave enough to come to trial.

[indistinct chatter]

[Medgar] Right here. [James] Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

[Medgar] This here is, uh, Ms. Murdock.

[Ms. Murdock] Ms. Bradley.

-Ms. Turner. Mr. Booker. -[boy shouts]

-Pleased to meet you, ma'am. -[boy laughs]

[Medgar] This here is my son, Darrell.

And my wife, Myrlie.

It's an honor to meet you, Mrs. Bradley.

Mr. Carthan.

[Medgar] Hey, you don't mind?

Over here is Amzie Moore.

He's the president

of the Regional Council for Negro Leadership.

And I am Dr. Theodore Howard.

Welcome to Mound Bayou, Mrs. Bradley.

-[Dr. Howard] Mr. Carthan. -Sir.

Let me just say that we are so...

honored to have you here with us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Now, what are you drinking?

[girl screams]

[Mamie] Not a lot of people would use

their money the way you do.

Well, we need money

for the freedom fight that we're in now.

We need money...

to protect Negroes who are...

simply trying to exercise

their constitutional right to vote,

to speak at trial.

[kids chattering]

I had a really good life in Chicago

before they took Bo from me.

I never thought much about the world

outside of just me and Bo,

my job, my family, my friends.

Mrs. Bradley, have you thought about, um,

what you're going to do after the trial?

After the trial?

I'm sure you've considered

continuing your work with the NAACP.

Or with our Regional Council, right here.

Your story... speaks to the urgency of Negro rights

more than anything this country has ever heard.

I've been sharing my story

because I want those two men to pay for what they did.

And I do too.

But I do not believe that justice will be rendered

by 12 jurors who look exactly like

the two so-called men who are on trial.

And our fight, and your story,

must continue and will not end with one single verdict.

Mrs. Bradley.

[sighs softly]

[pensive music playing]

[indistinct chatter]

[people murmuring]

[reporter 1] That's the mother!

Come on, get out the way.

Mrs. Bradley, why are you here?

[reporter 2] Ms. Bradley. [reporter 3] Ms. Bradley!

[reporter 2] Come on, say something!

[reporter 3] Will you testify? [reporter 2] Come on!

-You gotta give us something. -[reporter 3] Mrs. Bradley.

Mamie?

It's all right, Daddy.

-I am here to confirm... -[gun fires]

-[all exclaim] -[boy laughing]

-[man] What's wrong with you? -[cap gun continues firing]

[John] Let's get inside. Come on.

[laughter]

[indistinct chatter]

No.

How dare you?

[John] It's all right, Mamie.

Go on!

[indistinct chatter]

Amzie.

Mrs. Bradley, I'd like you to meet Ruby Hurley.

She's also a part of our team.

It's truly an honor to meet you, Mrs. Bradley.

Thank you.

[John] Thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you.

My pleasure.

-We'll be with you, ma'am. -[Mamie] Thank you.

-Right this way. -[John] Thank you.

-[man] Thank you. -You're welcome, of course.

[man 2] Hello, niggers!

I got about eight seats down there

for you and your nigger reporters.

Rest of you can stand.

You Mamie?

What's this?

That's a damn summons.

I thought you uppity niggers could read.

Mamie? Don't let him get to you.

Come on, now.

Ah, there's James Hicks.

We can go and sit with him and the other reporters.

Have you spoke with the prosecution team?

Only once before, on the phone.

It was brief.

Hopefully, this won't take too long. Get together later.

-[Medgar] Mr. Smith. -Yes.

Mrs. Bradley.

Mamie.

[John scoffs]

-[John] Hmm. -Come on.

[Bailiff] All rise!

The Honorable Judge Curtis Swango presiding.

[Judge] Please be seated.

There will be no pictures taken

during court proceedings.

Bailiff, have the jurors come in and take a seat.

Also, get me a Coke sometime. All right?

Your Honor, the State has just learned

of the existence of another witness

to the murder of Emmett Till.

The State requests a recess

in order to gather the witness.

[defendant clears throat] Objection, Your Honor!

Your Honor, this will only delay proceedings. Come on.

[Judge] Hmm.

Objection overruled.

It seems like a reasonable request.

[prosecutor] Thank you, Your Honor.

[Judge] I'll give you till tomorrow morning

to find your witness.

The court will have a recess.

We will resume at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.

[gavel bangs]

[Bailiff] Court dismissed!

[Mamie] Medgar, take me to Money.

All right. Okay.

[melancholy music playing]

[Medgar sighs]

[Mamie] That's where it happened?

[Medgar] Yes, ma'am.

[sighs] The shop's been closed since the day of the arrest.

Most of the patrons were Negroes.

[Medgar sighs]

[emotional music playing]

[emotional music continues]

[hens clucking]

[chuckles softly]

Your mama tells me you're all moving up north

after the trial.

Daddy says it's not gonna be safe.

[Simmy sighs]

Thank you.

[Mamie sniffles]

We're sorry, ma'am.

We're so sorry.

You all didn't know this was going to happen.

[whispers] Come here.

[Maurice sobbing quietly]

It's okay.

Hmm.

Where's your daddy?

[insects chirping]

You gonna sit?

I saw your boys.

Was probably hard for them to see you.

You gonna sit?

Did you have a shotgun in your house

the night they took Bo?

I've been wanting to explain to you what happened.

You told me that part.

White men came knocking

-on my door, Mamie. -I know that part.

They had a gun.

You have a gun!

[sighs]

[tearfully] How long did you stand there doing nothing

while they took my child?

If I'd have shot them,

they would've killed all of mine!

It'd be hunting season for every Negro in Money!

We have to live here, Mamie.

Bobo was with my boys

when he went to talk to some White woman.

You understand what that mean down here?

Don't you dare blame Bo for what happened to him!

I don't blame him!

[breathing heavily]

I had to make a choice that night.

In a moment, I had to choose.

[voice breaking] And you chose yours over mine.

It wasn't just two White men with a gun that night.

It was every White man who'd rather see a Negro dead

than breathin' the same air as him.

Every sheriff, every judge in this town

was at my door that night.

I was facin' a lot more than two men with a gun.

[Mamie whimpers]

[sniffles]

[tearfully] He was my only child.

[crying]

I know.

[sniffles]

That's why you're moving after the trial...

because you're going to testify?

[Moses sniffles]

No Negro in Money has ever spoken against a White man...

and lived.

[clicks]

[crickets chirring]

[suspenseful music playing]

[Ruby] That's the house.

If he runs, make sure he doesn't get away.

[Medgar whispers] Amzie, right here.

[knocks on door]

[Amzie whispers] Hey! Not so loud.

You'll scare him off.

[knocks softly]

[door opens]

[man] We told you to leave Willie alone.

Let's have a conversation inside.

[man] He didn't see nothin'!

Come out or we're comin' in.

-You gonna get the boy killed. -[dog barks in distance]

-[gasps] -[barking continues]

Hey! Hey!

[Amzie] Come on, come on!

[footsteps rustling]

[tense music playing]

[both panting]

[both continue panting]

[car halts]

[Medgar] We need to keep him here

just in case he runs off again.

[Willie Mae] I ain't gonna run.

I'll tell 'em what I saw that night.

[Medgar] And what about your grandparents?

Would you say that they heard

some sounds comin' out the barn too?

No, no, I promised them I was gonna keep them out of it.

[Dr. Howard] We're gonna finance security

for your entire family after they testify,

so don't you worry none, son.

All right?

[James] His name is Willie Reed,

a field hand for J.W.'s brother.

He's a witness who lives on the farm

not too far from where he saw

J.W. and Roy Bryant

and several other men take Emmett.

Now, Willie's family also works for the Milams,

so they also heard a lot of noise that night.

[Mamie] There were other men?

[James sighs]

It pains me to have to tell you this,

but there were some colored men that were involved.

Colored men did this to my boy?

Well, they work for Milam and Bryant,

and found out Bryant had 'em paid to skip town.

What...

I can fix that for you.

It means a lot,

what you're doing.

[Mamie sniffles]

[voice breaking] Thank you.

Thank you.

It's the right thing to do.

[Mamie whimpers]

[Medgar] Go ahead and put these on.

It's difficult for me to fall asleep

before Medgar gets home.

I've wanted to meet you.

What you did with those photographs...

What you're doin' now, it's, um...

It's nothing a mother wouldn't do for her child.

[Myrlie] Hmm.

[Mamie] How old's your son?

[chuckles softly] Two.

We almost didn't take him and his sister

with us from Jackson, but I...

I'm trying to keep the family together

as much as possible these days.

I'm sure you heard about what happened

to our friends Lamar Smith and Reverend Lee.

Yes, I have.

Medgar and I worked closely with 'em.

We did good work.

We got a lot of Negroes registered to vote

for the first time in Mississippi,

and that created the biggest targets on our backs.

[breathing shakily] I, um...

I believe in the work we're doin' for our people.

I do.

But I don't want my children to have to live in fear.

I have enough fear for all of us

every time I wait for Medgar to get home.

Emmett just wanted to go on vacation

and have fun with his cousins.

He never thought anything would happen to him.

He knew how different things were down here,

but I never raised him to have any fear growing up.

-I wanted him to be a boy. -[chuckles slightly]

And to not have his childhood taken away from him.

But it happened anyway.

[sighs]

We do the best we can.

[downcast music playing]

[Moses clears throat]

Do you know Mr. Bryant?

[Moses] He owns the meat market.

[prosecutor] Hmm.

Then you know Mr. Milam, do ya?

Not by name.

But I know him.

How do you know him?

[Moses] He showed up at my door,

standing there with a flashlight in one hand

and a pistol in the other.

[audience murmurs]

[prosecutor] And what happened next?

[audience murmuring]

He held my family at gunpoint.

[audience exclaims]

Then he dragged my nephew from my home and drove off.

[man] Sambo!

[audience laughing]

[prosecutor] And would you

Would you recognize Mr. Milam were you to see him again?

[unnerving music playing]

Yes, sir.

I would.

There he is.

[audience exclaiming].

[prosecutor] The State rests.

[audience murmuring]

[Judge] The witness can leave now.

The court will have a recess.

[gavel bangs]

[audience continues murmuring]

[somber music playing]

What did you think you heard?

I heard loud hollering and licks

comin' from that shed.

Sounded like a boy.

I saw, uh...

J.W. Milam.

[audience murmurs]

Saw a green truck with a white top.

As they drove off,

there was, uh. two White men in the cab

and three colored men in the back.

[audience murmurs]

They was all sitting next to a body.

Are you sure that's what you heard?

[Willie Mae] Yes, sir.

Huh. If that's what you heard,

why not yell out, or call "Help"?

[hesitates]

[breathing heavily]

[Willie Mae] I...

I...

I couldn't.

[defendant] No further questions.

[audience murmuring]

[audience members laughing]

[Judge] You can leave now.

[John sighs]

[door opens]

[door closes]

[Mr. Smith] Did you certify that the body found

was Emmett Till?

No, I did not.

I just said it was a dead body.

You couldn't even tell if the body was White or Black.

[Mr. Smith] Thank you, Sheriff Strider.

You are excused.

You want my honest opinion?

I think the boy's mammy and the NAACP

plotted this whole thing.

[Mr. Smith] Thank you, Sheriff Strider.

[sheriff] That boy's still alive somewhere.

[somber music playing]

[wiping hands]

[door opens and closes]

[Mr. Smith] Mamie...

Did you have a son who, in his lifetime,

was known as Emmett Till?

Yes, sir.

[Mr. Smith] How old was he?

Fourteen years of age.

[Mr. Smith] Is his father living today?

No, sir.

He died in service.

[Mr. Smith] Oh. Uh, when your husband,

the father of Emmett Till, was killed overseas,

were his belongings sent to you?

Yes, sir.

[Mr. Smith] I now hand you

a ring that has engraved on it,

May 25th, 1943,

with the large initials L.T.

Was that among the items that were sent to you?

Yes, sir.

[Mr. Smith] And is that the ring

that Emmett came down here to Mississippi with?

Yes, sir.

[crowd murmuring]

[Mr. Smith] Mamie, I wish you would state to the court,

and to the jury,

whether you could identify the body

that you saw down there in the funeral home

as that of your son, Emmett Till.

I could.

It's hard to describe what a mother knows.

[Mr. Smith] Please.

The first thing I noticed when I became a mother

was that my hands were busy.

[chuckles] All the time.

Rocking, carrying, swaying, always full.

One hand for him,

and one hand for what he needed.

When it came time to place him down

so he could make his own way around,

I touched every inch of him.

Every bend.

My hand knew him with my eyes closed.

Just like I'd know his laughter

in a crowded room.

It's the same thing when you know all of someone.

I started by laying my hands on a foot.

And then

found his knees.

I remembered him...

[voice breaking] as my fingers traced his hairline,

and bumped over the crease of his eyelid.

He was spoiled and puffed,

but these were the same parts

of a boy I'd nurtured and loved.

Nothing and no one could hide him from me.

A mother knows.

Your mother would know.

And I knew.

I knew this was my boy. Emmett Till.

Beyond any doubt.

[Mr. Smith] Thank you. Uh...

Thank you, Mrs. Bradley.

I believe that's all any of us would ever need to hear.

[defendant] Mamie?

Do you happen to remember

the date Emmett Till's father died?

Yes, sir. July the 2nd, 1945.

[defendant] Where was he when he died?

In Europe.

Did you have an insurance policy on Emmett Till?

Um...

Yes, sir.

[defendant] How much was it for?

I had a 10-cent and 15-cent policy,

two weekly policies, and they equaled $400.

-[audience murmurs] -[defendant] $400?

Now, to whom were those policies payable?

[Mr. Smith] Uh, we object to that, Your Honor.

[Judge] Objection overruled.

The witness will answer the question.

I was the beneficiary on one,

and my mother was on the other.

[defendant] He ever cause

or get in any trouble in Chicago?

No more than any other boy.

[defendant] Did he attend a reform school?

What for?

No.

[defendant] You've been quoted in the colored press,

"I told him several times before he left for Mississippi

"that he should kneel in the street

"and beg for forgiveness

"should he ever insult a White person."

Not those exact words.

[defendant] Did you caution him not to insult White women?

I referred to White people in general.

[defendant] Did you caution your son

how to conduct himself and behave himself

while he was down here in Mississippi?

Several times.

[defendant] Several times! Do tell us how.

I will give you a literal description

of what I told him.

How coming down here,

he would have to adapt himself to a different way of life.

Be very careful about how he spoke,

and to whom he spoke,

and to always remember to say, "Yes, sir" and "No, ma'am."

I told him that if ever an incident should arise

where there would be any trouble

of any kind with White people,

that if it got to the point where he needed

to go down on his knees before them,

well, I told him not to hesitate to do so.

Like if he bumped into somebody on the street

and they might get belligerent or something.

Well, I told him to go ahead and humble himself

so as not to get into any trouble! But...

[defendant] But what?

Well, I raised him with love for 14 years.

My sudden warnings about hate weren't going to get through.

[audience murmurs]

[defendant] I now show you what purports to be

a photograph of your son.

This was taken in my home two days after Christmas.

[defendant] Now, tell the court and the jury what this is.

[voice breaking] This picture is of my son

after Mississippi sent him back to Chicago, dead.

[audience murmuring]

No further questions.

[Judge] And for the prosecution?

[prosecutor] State rests.

[Judge] Court will have a recess.

[gavel bangs]

-[somber music playing] -[audience chattering]

[shakily] They...

They killed my son again. [sniffles]

[John sighs]

[John] Hmm.

[somber music continues]

[breathing heavily]

[Judge] Will the jury please retire to the jury room?

The testimony being offered here today

of a prior incident at the store in Money

is irrelevant.

[defendant 2] Your Honor,

may we still continue the testimony

on account of the record?

[Mr. Smith] Uh, Your Honor...

Sit down.

Now, I see no harm in letting Ms. Bryant

share her side of things if she wants to.

Hell, everybody else has.

You think you can handle that, dear?

[Carolyn sighs deeply]

Mrs. Bryant,

was anyone in the store with you

on Wednesday night, 24th day of August, 1955?

I was alone.

But the children were in the back.

In the living quarters.

And what time of day was it?

After dark.

[defendant 2] Alone.

At nighttime with your children.

Well, you just tell the court what happened next.

This nigger man came into the store

and stood by the candy case.

[defendant 2] And you?

[Carolyn] I was behind the counter.

I asked the man what he wanted.

And then did you get him the merchandise?

Yes.

And then what did you do?

I held out my hand for the money.

[defendant 2] Will you show the court

how you held your hand out?

Like this.

[defendant 2] And did he give you the money?

[Carolyn] No, he caught my hand.

[defendant 2] Will you show the court

just how he grasped your hand?

And was that a strong grip or a light grip

that he had when he held your hand?

[Carolyn] A strong grip.

[faint murmuring]

[defendant 2] Will you show the court what you did?

How did you get loose?

[grunts softly]

I jerked it loose like this.

Now, just what did he say when he grabbed your hand?

-"How about a date, baby?" -[defendant 2] Hmm.

Now, you freed yourself.

And what happened then?

[Carolyn sighs]

I turned to the back of the store.

And he went on his way?

No.

-He came after me. -[audience murmuring]

He caught me down by the cash register.

Mrs. Bryant, can you demonstrate for the court?

Yes.

All right, now.

[sighs]

Grabbed your hands, pinned them behind your back?

[Carolyn] Yes.

[defendant 2] His right hand on your right hip?

[Carolyn] Here.

[audience exclaims]

[defendant 2] Just what did he say?

[Carolyn] He said, "You needn't be afraid of me.

"I've been with White women before."

[defendant 2] And what happened then?

[Carolyn] Then another nigger came in the door...

[John sighs]

I'm ready to go.

[sighs] You want me to come and get you

when they read a verdict?

No. I'm ready to leave Mississippi. Now.

What about the verdict?

I know what the verdict is.

[radio host] After deliberating for about an hour,

the jury has just come back with a verdict

of "not guilty."

Thus the defendants Milam and Bryant are free men.

They celebrated their victory

laughing and smiling with their wives at their side,

clearly happy... [voice fades]

[intense somber music playing]

[people applauding]

[Rayfield] Her story has changed the world.

Because she had the courage to make it not just her own,

but all of ours.

[audience murmuring in agreement]

Mamie, it is an honor to share the stage with you.

To share this fight with you.

[man] Yes, yes!

Please welcome Mrs. Mamie Till-Bradley.

[audience cheering and applauding]

[audience whistling]

[softly] This is just the beginning.

[cheering continues]

I would like to give honor to God,

who is the source of my strength

and the reason for my being.

[audience murmurs in agreement]

I thank you, Mr. Mooty and the NAACP,

for inviting me to speak before you all

in Harlem, New York City.

[man 2] Yes.

My son's brutalized body meant nothing

to Mississippi's criminal justice system.

And while they blamed the victim, as usual,

the federal government stood idly by.

If this country fails to protect

the Black body from hate,

America has yet to meet her promise.

[audience] Amen!

Either freedom for everyone, or freedom fails!

[cheering and applauding]

One month ago, I had a nice apartment in Chicago.

I had a good job. I had a son.

When something happened to the Negroes in the South,

I said, "Well, that's their business. Not mine."

Now I know how wrong I was.

The lynching of my son has shown me

that what happens to any of us,

anywhere in the world,

had better be the business of us all.

[cheering and applauding]

I hear ya, sister!

That's right.

Tell it like it is!

I heard that!

Yes! Yes!

[music intensifying]

[mouthing]

[intense music continues]

[music fades]

[water dripping]

[record player clicks]

[record crackles]

["He Beeped When He Shoulda Bopped" by Dizzy Gillespie plays]

[song fading]

[emotional music playing]

[chuckles]

[Mamie laughing]

[chuckles softly]

[chuckling quietly]

[emotional music continues]