The media plays an indispensable role in the spread of information to people around the world with the purpose of entertaining, educating, or informing. Therefore, how such information is presented to the intended audience matters significantly if the message is to be passed effectively. Specifically, media leverages the power of imagery to achieve a predetermined goal. The story about the abduction and the ultimate gruesome killing of Emmett Till in 1955 at the age of 14 years birthed the Civil Rights Movement. While many blacks had died from race-related causes at the time, the death of Emmett Till became a focal point, specifically due to the way it was reported and presented to the public by the media. This paper discusses the power of imagery regarding Emmett Till’s death with the focus being how its reporting by the media inspired Americans to advocate for racial justice. The paper also draws a parallel between this story and that of the killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis to understand how media uses imagery to convey an important message.
The Legacy of Emmett Till
Emmett Till died an unwarranted death in the racist South at a time when society had advanced significantly in terms of civilization, racial and gender equality, and civil liberties. As such, his mother, Mamie Elizabeth Till-Mobley made a radical decision to let the world see the horrors of racism. Therefore, when the mortician asked if she wanted him to work on the presentation of the distorted face of her son, she responded, “No. Let the people see what I have seen” (Beauchamp 89). She requested to have an open casket at Emmett’s funeral and the media played a central role in passing the important message that racism in Mississippi was the norm. The media leveraged the power of imagery to evoke raw emotions from readers by capturing Emmett’s disfigured face for the world to understand the dark side of racism.
Words alone could not capture the vivid details of the suffering that Emmett underwent during his death – only images could accomplish this important task. According to Brown, “Emmett Till’s mutilated body would be on display for all to see. Fifty thousand people in Chicago saw Emmett Till’s corpse with their own eyes. When the magazine Jet ran photos of the body, black Americans across the country shuddered.” At the funeral, “The emotional photos at Emmett’s funeral captured Till-Mobley as she approached her son’s casket. Her body seemed to buckle. Photographers captured her leaning over the casket, to which photos of the smiling boy had been taped inside the lid” (Brown). These images were so powerful that people across the country and around the world could identify with the pain of the mourning mother. Ultimately, the precise presentation of Emmett’s mutilated body and disfigured face together with the sorrowful mourning of his mother sparked the civil rights movement.
The power of imagery in the media cannot be overemphasized in this case. According to Benson, “Without question, many Americans reacted strongly to the photographs of Till’s disfigured face published in the JET magazine and the Chicago Defender. People across the country – many of them young people – were moved to action” (6). This widely publicized death galvanized the fledgling Civil Rights Movement. The outrage created by Till’s death also motivated the formation of some political organizations, such as the Black Panther Party, “which advocated a more aggressive pursuit of social reform than the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)” (Young 23). The arguments presented in this paper underscore the power of a photo when used within its appropriate context. Images of Till’s defaced body helped millions of Americans and other people to visualize the extent of racial injustice and the grimness of race-based violence, which inflamed people into action to agitate for civil liberties and human rights.
The Legacy of George Floyd
In contemporary times, the brutal killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, and the eventual reporting of the events led to worldwide demonstrations against police brutality towards people of color. Newspapers, social media, and television channels carried images and video clips of the last moments of George Floyd pleading, “I can’t breathe” as a police officer knelt on the back of his neck. Similar to the case of Emmett Till, the media used the power of imagery to highlight the unwarranted death of George Floyd. The Black Lives Matter Movement organized peaceful demonstrations and inspired millions of other people around the world to speak against this social injustice. Various sectors joined hands and supported the calls to end police brutality. Celebrities, iconic sportspersons, football teams, and other organizations took part in this resistance. These actions were inspired by the power of imagery as captured in the media.
Conclusion
Imagery is a powerful tool that could be used to initiate meaningful revolutions in any given society. The photos of Emmett’s mutilated body were the turning point in the US with the birth of the Civil Rights Movement to advocate for racial justice and human rights. Even though the majority of people were introduced to Emmett through the press, they could identify with his suffering through the powerful images captured throughout his burial process. Similarly, the death of George Floyd through police brutality was captured precisely by the media, which ultimately ignited worldwide protests against such barbaric acts. This paper has shown that when used correctly, imagery could be the turning point to positively impact many lives in society.
Works Cited
Beauchamp, Keith. “The Murder of Emmett Louis Till: The Spark that Started the Civil Rights Movement.” The Black Collegian, 2005, pp. 88-91.
Benson, Christopher. “Turning Point.” The Crisis, vol. 116, no. 1, 2009, pp. 6-9.
Brown, DeNeen. “Emmett Till’s Mother Opened his Casket and Sparked the Civil Rights Movement.” The Washington Post, 2018.
Young, Harvey. “A New Fear Known to Me”: Emmett Till’s Influence and the Black Panther Party.” Southern Quarterly, vol. 45, no. 4, 2008, pp. 22-47.