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A new artifact at the civil rights museum in Mississippi tells Emmett Till's story

By Debbie Elliott

Published August 31, 2025 at 8:54 AM EDT

70 years since the lynching of Emmett Till, the state of Mississippi is embracing Till's story as the federal government flinches from showcasing painful moments of America's racial history.

Debbie Elliott

NPR National Correspondent Debbie Elliott can be heard telling stories from her native South. She covers the latest news and politics, and is attuned to the region's rich culture and history.

See stories by Debbie Elliott

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The long recovery on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, 'ground zero' for Hurricane Katrina

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While much of the focus marking 20 years since Hurricane Katrina is on New Orleans, where federal levees failed and flooded the city, the historic storm also decimated the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
In Mississippi, 20 years after Hurricane Katrina, the recovery has been long

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Former Gov. Haley Barbour reflects on the hurricane's blow to Mississippi, where 238 people were killed. He says there are lessons in the resilience of people and the government's disaster response.
70 years after Emmett Till's murder, Mississippi museum acquires gun used to kill him

Debbie Elliott

It's been 70 years since Emmett Till, a Black teenager visiting relatives in Mississippi, was killed by white men because he whistled at a white woman. Now the gun used in his death is in a museum.