Emmett Till Interpretive Center

Racial reconciliation begins by telling the truth.

aka Emmett Till Interpretive Center   |   Sumner, MS   |  https://www.emmett-till.org

Mission

The Emmett Till Interpretive Center is a nonprofit organization that exists to educate the public on the lives and legacies of Mamie and Emmett Till and to pursue racial justice, healing, and reconciliation. The Center was the vision of the late Jerome G. Little, the first African American President of the Tallahatchie County, MS Board of Supervisors. In 2006, Little organized the Emmett Till Memorial Commission, a multiracial group of 18 local citizens, which offered the first official apology to the family of Emmett Till for his murder. Today, the Center works to preserve and interpret the legacy of the Till tragedy in Mississippi and Chicago and uses the arts and storytelling to help process past pain and imagine new ways of moving forward.

Ruling year info

2011

Executive Director

Mr. Patrick Weems

Main address

P.O. Box 215

Sumner, MS 38957 USA

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Formerly known as

Emmett Till Memorial Commission of Tallahatchie County, Inc.

EIN

27-2895136

NTEE code info

Human Service Organizations (P20)

Civil Rights, Advocacy for Specific Groups (R20)

Museum & Museum Activities (A50)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

For fifty-plus years, Tallahatchie County tried to ignore the memory of Emmett Till with the hope that the incident would fade. Instead of fading, the memory and importance of Emmett Till grew. In 2006, Supervisor Jerome Little organized the Emmett Till Memorial Commission. The ETMC, made up of a multiracial group of citizens, realized that in order to properly remember and honor Emmett Till, they needed to first break the silence and take responsibility for their role in the injustice. In 2007, the ETMC offered a formal apology to the Till Family in a public ceremony in front of the Sumner Courthouse. The ETMC knew that the apology would be meaningless without action. Over eight years, the organization worked across racial lines to restore the Sumner Courthouse back to the its condition during the 1955 trial of Emmett Till’s murderers and to create an Emmett Till museum to live out the first line of the apology, which reads, "Racial reconciliation begins by telling the truth."

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Historic Preservation

We have worked with the county to raise over $4 million to restore the Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner to its condition during the 1955 condition of Emmett Till's murderers.

Population(s) Served
Adults

We are working with Dr. Dave Tell at the University of Kansas to develop an app that provides a virtual tour of the sites associated with the murder of Emmett Till.

Population(s) Served
Adults

We are currently developing a curriculum targeting middle school students to help educators teach about the tragedy of Emmett Till in the classroom.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

The Emmett Till Interpretive Center is a museum located across the street from the restored Tallahatchie County Courthouse. We provide tours of the courthouse and museum exhibits. Please see our website for museum hours.

Population(s) Served
Adults

Where we work

Videos

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Financials

Emmett Till Interpretive Center
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Emmett Till Interpretive Center

Board of directors
as of 11/22/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mr. Willie Williams

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 9/29/2020

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability