A Florida State University faculty member has added a significant addition to the Emmett Till Archives that will fundamentally change the public’s understanding of the Till case and its aftermath.

The newly acquired documents include a 33-page, single-spaced research memorandum by journalist William Bradford Huie, known for his controversial reporting, and his correspondence with lawyer John Whitten Jr., who defended Till’s killers, J. W. Milam and his half-brother, Roy Bryant.

The papers were generously gifted to FSU by Whitten’s granddaughter, Ellen Whitten, who delivered them to Davis Houck, Fannie Lou Hamer Professor of Rhetorical Studies in the School of Communication at FSU, in Mississippi in late June. The family had carefully protected the secret documents for 69 years; they were to be destroyed by Whitten when he retired from his law practice.

Houck established the Emmett Till Archives to serve as a focal point for research related to one of the 20th century’s most important stories. Till was a 14-year-old child visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi, in the summer of 1955. After an incident with a white storekeeper, Till was kidnapped from his great aunt and uncle’s home, tortured, murdered and thrown into the Tallahatchie River.

“Our Special Collections team has digitized these documents, making them accessible to the public,” Houck said. “Huie’s article, which included a purported confession by the killers, shaped the perceptions of many white Mississippians and others who wanted to believe Till was a man-rapist who feared no one. Huie’s ‘Look’ magazine article ran in January 1956 and continues to influence perceptions of Till and also the claim that only two men were involved in Till’s kidnap, torture and murder. In reality, at least eight men were involved, a fact carefully covered up by Huie’s lies. Those lies are documented in this new collection.”

Houck collaborated with FSU Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives to develop the Emmett Till Archives, which include newspapers, magazines, oral histories, records of civil rights organizations, photographs, government records, scholarly literature, creative works and other materials documenting the Till case and its commemoration, memorialization and discussion in scholarship and popular culture. Collections include papers by Devery Anderson, Keith Beauchamp and Mamie Till Mobley’s attorney, among others.

In partnership with Special Collections, Houck has endowed a fund which supports an annual lecture by a leading Till expert. Most recently, retired FBI agent, Dale Killinger, who spent three years investigating the murder as part of the Justice Department re-opening of the case, delivered that lecture in February 2024.

The archives are open to the public, with some materials currently available at bit.ly/TillDigitalArchives.

To read the Washington Post feature on this research, visit washingtonpost.com. For more information about FSU Libraries and Special Collections, visit lib.fsu.edu.

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Florida State University will host a talk on the FBI’s investigation and its key findings in Emmett Till’s kidnapping and murder as part of the third annual Emmett Till Archives Lecture Series. 

Retired FBI special agent Dale Killinger, who led the 2004 investigation, will present a discussion of previously unknown key witnesses, admissions by the killers, the autopsy of Till’s remains and obtaining key admissions from Till’s accuser, Carolyn Bryant. 

The talk will take place from 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, in the FSU Globe Auditorium. 

“It’s been nearly 20 years since Dale Killinger began investigating the people and places involved in the murder of Emmett Till,” said Davis Houck, Fannie Lou Hamer Professor of Rhetorical Studies in the School of Communication at FSU. “During that time, he’s become an indispensable resource when it comes to piecing together the often-confusing details of the case.” 

This event is funded by the Emmett Till Lecture and Archives Fund, established by Houck in collaboration with FSU Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives. 

The Emmett Till Archives includes newspapers, magazines, oral histories, records of civil rights organizations, photographs, government records, scholarly literature, creative works and other materials documenting the Till case and its commemoration, memorialization and discussion in scholarship and popular culture. 

“Archives are part of the evidence of our histories,” said Katie McCormick, associate dean for FSU’s Special Collections and Archives. “The collections that comprise the Emmett Till Archives provide documentation for both the lies that have been told, and believed, and the truths of the Emmett Till case and its impact. We are honored that Mr. Killinger accepted our invitation and will share with us his perspectives on the case and the importance of documentary evidence in the pursuit of justice.” 

The 2004 investigation remains Killinger’s most notable. He identified and interviewed previously unknown witnesses, located a trial transcript missing for over 40 years and participated in the exhumation and autopsy of Till’s body, presenting all of his findings to a grand jury. 

An FBI Academy alumnus, Killinger has investigated all manner of crime, including civil rights violations, crimes against children, bank robberies, white collar crimes and other violations of federal law for 10 years. He is a certified FBI hostage negotiator and police instructor. Killinger holds certifications as an FBI Police Instructor, FBI Crisis Negotiator, Insider Threat Program Manager and Insider Threat Vulnerability Assessor from Carnegie Melon University. 

To RSVP to the event, visit bit.ly/FSUEmmettTillLecture2024. 

The archives are open to the public, with some materials currently available at bit.ly/TillDigitalArchives.  

To learn more about FSU Libraries and Special Collections, visit lib.fsu.edu/special-collections. 

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Florida State University will host a talk on Mamie Till-Mobley’s significant contributions as a public educator and activist during the second annual Emmett Till Archives Lecture Series.

Brandon M. Erby, assistant professor of writing, rhetoric and digital studies at the University of Kentucky, will present the “Educational Legacy of Mamie Till-Mobley” from 5:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, in the Broad Auditorium at FSU’s Claude Pepper Center.

Erby’s research includes African American rhetoric, literacy and language studies, critical pedagogy and rhetorical history. He is currently writing a book about the activism, pedagogy and legacy of Till-Mobley.

Till-Mobley joined a national speaking tour sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) after the death of her son, Emmett Till, in the fall of 1955. She was determined to teach audiences about who her son was, how she raised him and how his story connected to a larger history of racism, violence and justice in the United States.

Erby’s talk will trace the pedagogical performances of Till-Mobley and insists she was a fervent believer in two things: teaching others and promoting educational initiatives to make sure her son’s name remained culturally relevant.

“Although Emmett Till’s death played a major role in how Till-Mobley is remembered and influenced the work that she would later do, it’s important to know her as more than a grieving mother who left her son’s casket open for the world to see,” Erby said. “I look forward to discussing this aspect of Till-Mobley’s legacy and highlighting how Till-Mobley’s work and memory continue to inform views about race, education and justice in the United States.”

This lecture was funded by the Emmett Till Lecture and Archives Fund, established by Davis Houck, Fannie Lou Hamer Professor of Rhetorical Studies in the School of Communication at FSU.

“As a Tougaloo College graduate in the state capital of Jackson, Dr. Erby’s involvement with Mississippi’s civil rights history is personal,” Houck said. “With the recent Hollywood films putting Mamie Till-Mobley at the very center of her martyred son’s story, Dr. Erby’s re-centering of her in public and academic scholarship is much needed and most timely.”

Houck collaborated with FSU Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives to develop the Emmett Till Archives, which includes newspapers, magazines, oral histories, the records of civil rights organizations, photographs, government records, scholarly literature, creative works and other materials documenting the Till case and its commemoration, memorialization and discussion in scholarship and popular culture.

The archives are open to the public, with some materials currently available at bit.ly/TillDigitalArchives.

To learn more about FSU Libraries and Special Collections, visit lib.fsu.edu. To RSVP for The Emmett Till Archives Lecture, visit bit.ly/TillSeries2023.

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