Here. It is a humbling and very special day to welcome you. And as we come together in communities, lets acknowledge this. [inaudible]. And the tribe here in the Greater Washington dc area. The Chesapeake Bay still home to the native Indigenous People and to all of the hemisphere and we give our respect and our gratitude for the opportunity to work and live here. And can everyone see me and hear me okay, please let us know if you need anything and anything we can help you with and we want to feel home here as fleece whatever you need to do to feel welcome and received rated we hear the Nations Museum have created a new Strategic Plan together dedicated to becoming the most inclusive relevant Sustainable Public street institution and a new mission is hiring people to create more compassionate futures by preserving and sharing the complexities of the past is grounded in understanding and in depth of an inviting commitment to presenting complex stories to draw important connections between historical and contemporary experiences and events and xmas and we open tomorrow to the public but to you today is reckoning with remembrance of history and justice in the murder of emmett till thus looks at how and what we remember in the defaced riverside marker and explain it the long and painful history of anti black violence and discontinuation into our present and spotlights the ongoing perseverance and efficacy of Community Members individuals are gathered here today to have the story be publicly recognized and not forgotten for emmett till and the constant defacement of the marker that you will see over ten years demonstrates the contested nature of history. It challenges public commemorations and historical interpretations and the ramifications that emmett till has in our present day in society and assigned that is now in the nations collections and that were so honored to stewarded to take care of, for the rest of the days. 317 times shot. And each bullet hole is an act of violence against National Memories of the memory of emmett till we place it marker in the very center of the museum and what we call the hall to demonstrate this instant for this integral role in separable integral role in the making story rated and this is the second onset to be in that spot in as the Museum Opened in 1964 location like Everything Else we have done, reflective of the inputs of our Incredible Community partners with whom we have the expedition and with whom we are so grateful rated our objective is center of the story anti black violence and Community Organizers within American History and so here in our opening today, im so deeply honored to welcome all of you and especially some very special guests rated evidence cousin and best friend, rev. Wheeler parker and his wife and the last living relative who was an eyewitness. And got gordon and cousin an executive director for the main foundation, misses any right, widow of emmas cousin and second eyewitness. And doctor patrick the executive director of the emmett till Interpreter Center in the Memorial Commission, they have entrusted us to preserve and present the legacy of emmett till to the country through the sign rated and representative. [inaudible]. Serving the 30th district which includes tallahassee. And working with him his family and the Community Members as co curators, comprehensive, a place in narrative about till storing the decades of activism and organizing in mississippi and on the nation and it went into preserving it so im so grateful and humbled to be with you all today. Im grateful to have the leadership from the smithsonian including doug hall, interim undersecretary administration here with us today members of so many different Communities National trust the National Park service, the journalists and the writers activists and my incredible fellow colleagues. And thank you to those colleagues and so many American History staff for their time and their dedication over the years to make this moment happened today. I am so grateful of doctor nancy and patricia, and more. And tonya james maria, and others. And so many more rated not quite finished yet but her own wonderful, the office of protective services and offices of Facilities Management and so many others who work so hard in designing, the beautiful exhibits, conserve against and installing it in those helping us today. Im honored to work with you to be your director read it is a pleasure to bring to the screen, not to the states, history, that he is a very has a very very special message for all of you in the first africanamerican historian and firstborn Museum Director to lead the smithsonian in 14 secretary ronnie. Thank you for inviting me to speak today and is deeply meaningful to be part of this event because so much of my professional and personal perspective has been shaped by the legacy of emmett till and the courage of his mother. When i was director of the National Museum of history and culture, every morning i began my day by visiting the till exhibition and the strength that i gathered there from missus tills memory only get through even the hardest days. It was thanks to her that her sons murder reunited the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century. In the midst of her own personal devastation, she chose to keep his casket hope and achieve one of the world to see what they did to her son. She refused to let america go look away. I first met her in chicago, and the opportunity to spend a fair amount of time there just trying despite the death in 2003, she spoke to me about how she carried the burden of emmas death and the meaning of this loss for nearly 50 years. She wondered who would carry her burden when she was gone. And i took that as a direct charge to name the to make sure that emmett till and countless other victims of violence, would not be forgotten. And this is what any institution of history must do to carry the weight of the memory and regardless how painful and difficult and of the core of the great museum lies not just this to remember the commitment to use that memory to hold our country accountable. In the promise of justice, and freedom and equality pretty and to learn from her and to refuse to let america look away. That is why todays event is moving and why this exhibition is so significant. But the bullet within Historical Marker that will be displayed mindsets the grounds of the racism. We toss until we refuse to face it and as this continues, the museum can help our country move forward it. The museum can help us remember not just the tragedy and the harm, but the determination resiliency and courage. Of those witnessed and as a result of the story of emmett till, it is part of the National Heritage but also a local story. And before i close on the honor the tallahassee county and remember emmett till in large part because the members in the Family Members who have carried this burden through the years and continue to ensure that his memory will never be loss. Meeks and a special thanks. To the parkers and all the members of the till family and the members to the Memorial Commission and the smithsonian is honored to join you and shared work. And lastly, the me think all those involved and everyone that handed building the reckoning of the remembrance and exhibition and you are making an nation better. Thank you. [applause] i sent a text after he recorded that for us. And thank him so much on the behalf of all of us and he texted me back in he said this work is so special special i only wish that i could be with you in person at and i think he did a pretty good job bringing himself to us and he is here with us certainly in spirit and in inspiration. So without further ado, it is an honor again to bring forth new friends old souls and incredible panelist as well as our moderator for todays program predict sarcasm honor. Rev. Wheeler parker, activist and a Family Member and eyewitness and pastor of raleigh Methodist Church pastor williams and missus to be cochair of the Memorial Commission and of course a spiritual of of the Memorial Commissions work. And jessie jaynesdiming, Commission Member and civil rights guide in his passion and drive of kept his history alive. Jermaine, an awardwinning u. S. History teacher at Tallahassee High School recognized for his mentorship and civil rights curriculum. And of course that focuses on the stories and talented young people to draw important conclusions and connections. We are honored it that the conversation will be moderated by Doctor University of kansas professor one of the countrys foremost scholars of emmett till and offer and author of an incredibly powerful book published in 1919 on emmett till and doctor, and panelist please come up to the stage. [applause] [applause] [background sounds]. [background sounds]. Greetings everyone can you all hear me. All right, thank you. Thank you for the introduction and in one of the first conversations that some of us had leading up to this event, rev. Wheeler parker said that the sign of bullet holes on the exhibit there said that sign tells a story. Dont you think you that he is right. And this morning i have the honor, we have the honor of being here with four stewards of that story of people who the secretary on it, took up this charge and have refused to let the world look away and over the course of the next halfhour have hour or so we will hear from each of them but what the sign the vandalism teaches us about the story about emmett till and the stakes of remembrance and the tenacity and about the possibilities for reconciliation. But before turning to our panelist a lot of say briefly the side of the story that it tells into ways and the first want to acknowledge that its a complex story, story vandalism and respiration and is the story of broken notice and healing. It is a story of a violent past, fragile present in the hope of a more just future. And starting by acknowledging the healing restorations are part of the story, is a testament to what can happen if a small group of citizens including my colleagues on the stage refuse to let brokenness have the last word because signs dont fix themselves and theres nothing inevitable about reconciliation. If you start with murder of emmett till in august of 1955, you have to count 49 years, and 11 months before the state of mississippi got a single dollar from the emmett till commemoration and thankfully, there is a group of local citizens in tallahassee county that found this violence intolerable. And i want to say their names and among others i am thinking of bobby bank robert grayson, john will she, betty pearson, willie williams, jesse james, and johnny b thomas, and especially drone little pretty and i dont imagine that these men and women ever dreamed that their stories would be told in the smithsonian. But driven by the hope they hate would not win out they organize themselves at the commission and they raise money and they did something that it never been done before, the began to tell the story and the landscape of the mississippi delta and so it is complex and nothing has been one for the people that you see on the stage, are not only stewardess that tell stories, i also think of them as people who stood in the ark of a long history of racism and vandalism and violence and begin the work of venting that history back towards justice read and second, the story told by the sign is unfinished as a scholar of murdr in his memory but to my dears convictions is that the story of his murray and converter must not be confined 1955, it is a story use relevance grows more pressing with each passing year. I want you to think for a moment, about the bullet holes at 317 of them, that phil that sign. They have always struck me as simple but found powerful reminders that the racism the cost emmett till and his wife is still with us and later as they are, an account of what happened it in 1955 that have pulled that old story into the present and though we are talking with people at breakfast this morning, that is what this exhibit is says and apart from any other exhibit in the country. Of thinking of the wanted jackson and the one next door the one in memphis there powerful and all of those exhibits tell the story of emmett till by focusing on 1955 in this the only exhibit that i know about the traces that story from 1955, straight through the 21st century. With those two comments, as a framework, then return to our panelist we will start with rev. Wheeler parker. Doctor ive heard you say many times, that if you were not there, you cant really know what happened and you were there in 1955 and if you woody, take us back to that moment and tell us what happened at the Grocery Store and into the home of moses first of all i would like to say that 66 years ago last saturday, i was 16 years old. That morning, was the morning they came and kidnapped emmett till and i had my moments and i can remember that the thing showed up just before she died his mother and she told me that she wanted me to carry on the work and they wanted to name it Emmett Till Memorial Center and everything was that i hope that he did not die in vain in coming here today, is a reminder that emmett till did not die in vain, he still speaks, sad to say i think he has done or death they wouldve done if he had lived so many things have come to past and done to help racism and help and with that i will go back into what happened at the store. So many stories that have been told is still mindboggling to me that happened in 1985. The first interview that we had for eyewitnesses, was 1985 is happened in 1955. Can you believe it and then when i told my story, they said rev. Wheeler parker alleged and can you imagine how painful and how insulting that is. How can you do that well i guess, on the streets of the fellow americans. In 19 and they also called me so also you how light can prevail the first, was last semi version of what happened in store, i saw the eyes on the prize. And not to be little anyone. In my first cousin would tell the story. I would say what, i was there. [inaudible]. She were lying through her teeth rated. [laughter] and tell me what happened at the store pretty and she was not there at all. And until the teacher that he said this the deep storyline until this one is going to keep telling and told what happened. He said man, forgive me, im going to walk to the tower interior and a thousand pieces into the wind. Then im going to go find the pieces and he did not find the pieces. And thats why the story prevails. And later, my cousin had gone on and talk to him and he apologized and the family got on them or Something Like that in the sand tell him and i dont know why they didnt come to asked to interview. But elise for the truth, within 30 years you couldve found it some kind of way. So he came and did a documentary in 1985. That is when they changed up until 30 years of his like emmett till got what he deserved the segment of american from the black people, we didnt talk about this. My grandfather would not have let that happened in these people that live in the pacific, they were raised under these kind of conditions and they literally have no idea what i am talking about and you would never have an idea unless you did so dont criticize. Until you walk a mile in my what, my shoes. So we were there in the store, and purchase was the same, emmett till came in. And it knew the style i knew he had to have this just right, can you imagine. And you have every right. That is unbelievable and i said was wrong with these people. What is their insecurity. Because they think that you are looking at somebody wrong and you will die nobody would help you predict they could call you could not call the police or the government or the present or you could not call anyone. Absolutely nothing and emmett till said the fbi would not get involved. But anyway, im in the sort of sitting there and we called him a nickname and we got all this together and i lived in the south eight years prior to moving to illinois side not forgotten anything pretty. Women didnt have too much of a problem. We move on from that and said what happened. At any rate, thats a whole other story that we will talk about and they said will will come first. [inaudible]. But anyways, we have a real serious problem, i am a real serious problem. So i was in the store and emmett till said nothing happened. Absolutely nothing everything was smooth no problems. [inaudible]. And he was 12 and he had been with him and said absolutely nothing happened. [inaudible]. They came out of the store and instead are not tonguetied but all of the time and he loved to make people laugh. He loved telling jokes. She came out of the store and some people would think it was a whistle. [inaudible]. And we said, more than the were just here for the cop. But we knew that there was a real fear behind that. And start but now and were going on this gravel road with dark fear road. Just as flying everywhere. And they said hes after us or the year after us. And he was in the car and there we went. [inaudible]. He had in the car. He just laid down. He had his own idea. So we regrouped and she was just as scared. [inaudible]. And how it impacts you and affects you when youre raised in that kind of situation, is there for life for two reasons. And affects your behavior and your mind pretty so she said this is not over and you guys want will hear more about this d maybe thats what my grandfathee 16 of 14 and 12. Thereabouts. Because this was wednesday and then thursday nothing have a a nothing happened. Now we thought that it was all over with now. And we would just have a great good time and that we would never