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Memory, Legacy, and Emmett Till

July 21, 2009
The recent desecration of several gravesites in Burr Oak cemetery, including that of slain teenager Emmett Till, raises several questions about the sanctity of commemoration and how society regards the practice of memorializing the dead.

Read the article "Emmett Till's Casket Found 'Rusted, Battered'"


Discussion Questions: 
  • As Emmett Till's murder is widely considered to be a catalyst for the civil rights movement, does the violation of his gravesite somehow mean more than the violation of someone else's gravesite?
  • Why is a gravesite sacred?
  • How does the concept of profit -- in this case, re-selling gravesites and discarding the former occupants -- impact a family's or a society's loss?
  • Why do we build monuments to the deceased?
Related Facing Today Resources: 
Nearly a Million Genocide Victims, Covered in a Cloak of Amnesia
Noose: The True History of a Resurgent Symbol of Hate
Responding to Racism
Related Facing History Resources: 
Emmett Till: A Series of Four Lessons
A Pivotal Moment in the Civil Rights Movement
Civil Rights Field Trip