Emmett Till

NBC Chicago Presents 1-Hour Special ‘The Lost Story of Emmett Till: The Universal Child'

The broadcast special will include extended interviews and bonus scenes retelling the chilling 1955 lynching of Black Chicago teenager Emmett Till and the injustice that energized the Civil Rights Movement

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

NBC Chicago’s one-hour special, "The Lost Story of Emmett Till: The Universal Child," will air at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 19. The program is an extended version of NBC Chicago’s documentary that debuted exclusively on Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire in February.

The broadcast special will include extended interviews and bonus scenes retelling the chilling 1955 lynching of Black Chicago teenager Emmett Till and the injustice that energized the Civil Rights Movement. Veteran Journalist Marion Brooks examines the climate of that era and why Americans quickly began to forget about the tragedy.

“Within a span of six months after his kidnapping and death, Emmett Till’s name began to fade from public consciousness. It’s hard to imagine not hearing George Floyd’s name six months after his murder. As a journalist, I felt a responsibility to keep Emmett’s legacy and the truth alive,” Brooks said.

“His mother, Mamie Till Mobley, showed the ugliness of America, but justice never came about. It has taken 50 years for the true story to be presented. Marion Brooks’ documentary is a brilliant piece of journalism and demonstrates the power of the press,” N’Digo Publisher, Hermene Hartman, said about the documentary.

“There was a lot of first-time information rarely told or viewed before in one story. We learned about more people who were involved and each with a different perspective,” said Pastor R. Redmond, research editor at the Media Editing Group.

"The Lost Story of Emmett Till: The Universal Child" features interviews and footage from NBC Chicago’s 1985 documentary "Emmett Till: The Murder and the Movement," written by Rich Samuels and produced by Anna Vasser. Brooks adds additional context, detailing the circumstances behind the injustice.

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