Johnson Backs Plan to Recognize July 25 as Emmett Till Day

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Gregg Johnson, D-Rock Island, supported legislation this week that would designate every July 25 as Emmett Till Day in Illinois, honoring the life of a boy who was brutally murdered and became central to the Civil Rights Movement. 

“Far too often, we, as a nation, try to brush past the appalling things that occurred in our history,” said Johnson. “By declaring July 25 as Emmett Till Day, we recognize that terrible history while also commemorating the life of a young boy whose life was brutally taken from him too soon.”

House Bill 4323 would add July 25 to Illinois’ list of commemorative holidays. While the designation would not close state offices, it would encourage schools, municipalities, elected officials and community organizations to mark the day through education, reflection and public programming.

Emmett Till, a 14-year-old born in Chicago, was brutalized to death in Mississippi, where he was visiting family. A white woman accused teenage Till of whistling at her, and her family responded by abducting and lynching Till. Upon his murder in 1955, in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement, Till’s mother, Mamie Till Bradley, brought her mutilated son back to Alsip, Illinois, where he was buried.

“Our country is moving forward, but we can’t do that by forgetting the past,” said Johnson. “We need to look back and recognize the wrongs that were committed, and dedicate ourselves to creating a state and a nation where something like that can never happen again. This day will remind us of the progress we made, and the work that still needs to be done.” 

House Bill 4323 passed the House with bipartisan support and now heads to the Senate.