Gordon-Booth Backed Bill Declaring July 25 as Emmett Till Day Passes House

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – State Rep. Jehan Gordon Booth, D-Peoria supported legislation 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. 

“My mother was a lifelong advocate, ignited by two events: reading the Diary of Anne Frank and seeing the brutal murder of Emmett Till,” said Gordon-Booth. “My father was born in Money, Mississippi, the same place Emmett was murdered. The story and tragedy of Emmett Till has touched my life in so many ways, and I’m proud to support this legislation.”

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 fourteen-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-Mobley, brought her mutilated son back to Alsip, Illinois, where he was buried.

“The family of Emmett Till turned their tragedy into a movement, ensuring Emmett remained an important part of the Civil Rights Movement and in our country’s racial consciousness. This day is for them, too,” said Gordon-Booth. “My mother was mobilized by the lynching of Emmett Till and my father was born in the same town he was murdered. Just one generation later, I’m proud to work to recognize the lynching of Emmett Till and the legacy his family created.”

House Bill 4323 passed unanimously in the House and heads to the Senate.