Dar He: The Lynching of Emmett Till

Written and performed by Mike Wiley and directed by Serena Ebhardt, this original work explores the lost truth of a hate crime that set the civil rights movement in motion. Dar He: The Lynching of Emmett Till chronicles the murder, trial and unbelievable confessions of the men accused of Till’s lynching.

While visiting Mississippi from Chicago, fourteen-year-old Emmett Till was kidnapped from his uncle’s home in the middle of the night — several days after he allegedly whistled at Carolyn Bryant, a local white woman. Days later, Till’s mutilated body was found in the Tallahatchie River, weighted down with a cotton gin fan. His nose was crushed. His left eye was missing, and his right eye was dangling on his cheek. A hole was blown in his right temple. Most of his teeth were gone. The body was identified only by a ring he was wearing. His mother held an open-casket funeral in Chicago, shocking the public with the sight of her son’s battered body. Carolyn Bryant’s husband, Roy Bryant, and his half brother, J.W. Milam, stood trial on murder charges weeks later. After 67 minutes of deliberations, the all-white jury found the men innocent. The brothers later confessed to the crime in a paid interview in Look magazine. In 2005, Till’s body was exhumed and consideration was given to reopening the case. In 2006 Federal prosecutors decided not to pursue charges. Fifty years later, questions still remain. Fifty years later no one has been convicted.