Also American
AchievementSeptember 23, 1955· politics

All-White Jury Acquits Emmett Till's Killers

An all-white Mississippi jury acquitted Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam of Emmett Till's murder after deliberating for just 67 minutes. Protected by double jeopardy, the two men later confessed to the killing in a magazine interview. The travesty of justice outraged Black America and international observers, accelerating civil rights organizing.