Illinois Designates July 25 as Emmett Till Day to Honor Civil Rights Legacy

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has signed a new law designating July 25 as Emmett Till Day statewide, creating an annual day of remembrance honoring the life and legacy of the teenager whose murder became a defining moment in the Civil Rights Movement.

The date marks Till’s birthday. He would have turned 85 years old this year.

Till was 14 years old when he was kidnapped and brutally lynched in Mississippi in 1955 while visiting family. His death and the public response that followed became a catalyst for national conversations about racial injustice and civil rights.

After Till’s body was recovered from the Tallahatchie River, his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, made the decision to bring him back to Chicago and hold an open-casket funeral.

Images from that funeral were published across the country and helped draw national attention to the realities of racial violence, becoming a powerful symbol in the fight for civil rights.

Gov. Pritzker signed the legislation at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago, the location where Till’s funeral was held.

The governor said the new designation is intended to encourage communities throughout Illinois to use July 25 as an opportunity for education, reflection, and public programming.

“Mamie Till-Mobley said, ‘Let the people see what they did to my boy!’ and today, Illinois is answering the call one more time,” Pritzker said.

The law ensures that the lives of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley continue to be recognized and remembered for their role in shaping American history.