New exhibit opens Saturday at Minnetrista

The murder of Emmett Till and subsequent trial served as inspiration for many in the civil rights movement.

A new exhibit examines the life and legacy of the 14-year-old boy and his mother.

“Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See” opens Saturday at Minnetrista Museum & Gardens in Muncie.

“Emmett Till’s story is not distant history — it continues to shape the world we live in,” said Sebastián Encina, director of curation and exhibition at Minnetrista. “This exhibition asks visitors to sit with the reality of what happened, to understand the courage of Mamie Till-Mobley, and to recognize how memory, truth, and responsibility are deeply connected. Remembering is not passive work — it requires attention, care, and action.”   

Till was visiting family in Money, Mississippi, in 1955 and had an encounter at Bryant’s Grocery and Meat Market involving co-owner Carolyn Bryant. Accounts of what happened vary.

Carolyn Bryant, her husband Roy Bryant and his half-brother John William “J.W.” Milam abducted Till, who was later beaten and shot before his body was thrown into the Tallahatchie River. Till’s body was found three days later, and in the subsequent trial an all-white, all-male jury took just 67 minutes to acquit Bryant and Milam.

The free exhibit that will be open through April 12 at Minnetrista, in the Center Building, Gallery 3, “examines the life and legacy” of Till and the efforts of his mother Mamie Till-Mobley to share her son’s story. Created by the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Institute, the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, the Till family, and The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, it features images and firsthand narratives.

Minnetrista, 1200 N. Minnetrista Parkway, Muncie, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit minnetrista.net.