The story made international headlines: Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Chicago boy, was visiting relatives in Mississippi when he was accused of whistling at a white woman, and later found brutally beaten and murdered.
The theatrical production, ‘Trial in the Delta’ produced by Collaboraction for Social Change, is a reenactment of the actual transcripts from the 1955 trial. It’s on stage at the DuSable Museum.
“To be honest, at first I didn’t want the show,” says Dr. Kim Dulaney, vice president of education and programs at DuSable.
“But, then we talked with the producers, and had deep conversations and went to great lengths to make sure that we are not re-injuring people. So we wanted to see how we could empower rather than immobilize somebody," Dulaney said.
This production is based on a video adaptation of the court transcripts NBC Chicago produced last year as part of the documentary, "The Lost Story of Emmitt Till: Trial in the Delta."
The first audience for the stage production was filled with mostly high school students, and they participated in a Q&A after the performance.
“To witness the young people being intimately touched by this story and this project and mamie’s spirit is all you can hope for," Anthony Moseley, co-director of the production and artistic director of Collaboration said.
Local
Maisha Lewis, a peer professional at Harlan High School, was happy the audience was filled with students.
“We had these young people out today to see this and experience this, because a lot of them aren’t aware. I’m just glad to bring this awareness,” Lewis said.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
Decovie Howard, a Harlan High senior, told NBC 5 “It encouraged me to really like put my foot down and make initiative steps therefore to become a young leader of my generation.”
'Trial in the Delta: The Murder of Emmitt Till' runs through February 19th at the DuSable Museum in Washington Park.
