Our nation has become increasingly aware of Emmett Till’s name and circumstances in recent years as the history of injustice to African Americans is documented more thoroughly and accurately. Readers may be less familiar with the voice and the relentless actions of Emmet's mother Mamie Till-Mobley, who spoke immediately and publicly about his death by lynching in August 1955. Her actions led, ultimately, to the passage by the U. S. Senate of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act on March 7, 2022, making lynching a federal crime. In the nonfiction illustrated book Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement, author Angela Joy and artist Janelle Washington document the extraordinarily painful and courageous role Mamie Till-Mobley played in the movement to bring justice and healing to individuals and communities suffering from loss and injustice. Emmett’s mother insisted that his body—beaten, killed and thrown in the Tallahatchie River in Mississippi where Emmett was visiting relatives—be sent home to Illinois and displayed publicly for people to see the horror her son endured. The men responsible for Emmet’s death were not convicted, the result of an inaccurate, incomplete, unjust trial. The book’s text is concise and lyrical, describing Emmet, his mother, his lynching and the events and advocacy that followed in powerful simplicity. Janelle Washington’s cut-paper and colored illustrations capture telling moments in the narrative, inviting readers to sense deeply the import of Emmet’s story. Mamie Till-Mobley, through her relentless energy, connected with African Americans well familiar with the discrimination of the Jim Crow era, including Rosa Parks, spurring further activism that powered the Civil Rights movement. Till-Mobley, as an educator and activist, founded the Emmett Till Players in 1973, a group of young people who brought the inspiring words of Martin Luther King, Jr., to audiences across the nation. An author’s note, an illustrator’s note, the “Choosing Brave: The Soundtrack," vocabulary related to the story, a timeline and sources provide excellent additional insights to the story of Emmett Till. The importance of this story cannot be overemphasized, difficult though it is, and this is the book through which young people and their grown-ups can experience it. Ages 8 to adult. Roaring Brook Press, 2022.
For readers interested in more books for young people related to peace, social justice, global community and equity, please explore the Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards.
