01x06 - The Last Word

[bunniefuu]

[THOMAS P. BRADY]
The loveliest and the purest

- of God's creatures,

the nearest thing to an angelic being,

is a well-bred Southern woman

or her blue-eyed,
golden-haired little girl.

This is why we can't put little boys

and little girls together,

Negroes and whites,

and have them sing together,

play together, dance
together, eat together.

You cannot do this and
then expect the sensitivity

of those white children
not to be broken down.

- [CROWD SHOUTING]
- You can't do it!

By abolishing school segregation,

the Supreme Court has set aside

all the laws of eugenics
and biology created by God.

If trouble is to come, we

can predict how it will start...

The glib young n*gro
who sojourned in Chicago

or New York will perform an obscene act,

or make an obscene remark,

or as*ault on some white

girl, for they will reason,

"Has not the Supreme
Court abolished segregation?"

Would the federal government

- not protect us?"
- [CROWD SHOUTING "NO!"]

This is the reasoning
which produces riots

and bloodshed, raping, and revolutions.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

We'll begin closing
arguments momentarily.

How many do you think they turned?

At this point, does it even matter?

You're damn right it does.
The defense played dirty.

They knew that if the judge let Carolyn

take the stand, her
story would get to the jury.

It didn't matter if he
ruled it inadmissible or not.

Well, what'd you expect?

Everyone knows Breland ranks
high in the Citizens' Council.

Well, it's not like I
haven't seen one before,

but burning crosses
usually aren't directed at folks

- who look like us.
- Hmph.

[SIGHS]

What happened there?

- Sunburn.
- I see that.

What's the story?

I was following up on a lead.

I'd heard that, uh, those
two n*gro witnesses

were being held in the Charleston jail

for the duration of the trial.

Where'd you hear that?

I can't reveal my sources,

but I asked those deputies
for directions to sniff it out.

Instead of directions,
they offered me a ride.

Turns out it was a one-way fare,

and I was stuck walking five miles

in the midday sun back into town.

[CHUCKLES]

You're lucky they didn't do more
than leave your ass in the country.

[SIGHS] Very true.

[RUBY] Mamie, we
thought you'd left town.

I nearly did.

I, um... I bit my tongue yesterday

while that woman lied about my son,

and I just couldn't bring myself to sit

through the parade of
character witnesses this morning.

All you missed were a
bunch of peckerwoods

trying to convince us
that Bryant and Milam

had "the best reputations
two men could ever have."

I figured.

You know, as much as I wanted to pack up

and put this nightmare behind me,

I remembered what you
said about showing up.

So... here I am.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

I don't want that
woman thinking I bought

any of that garbage she spewed up there,

but if I had left, she might've.

[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

[GAVEL BANGS]

[JUDGE SWANGO] Order in the court.

Gentlemen, are you prepared
to give your closing arguments?

[BRELAND] Yes, Your Honor.

The state may begin.

[CHATHAM] There's been
a lot of talk about this case

inside this courtroom and out,

but I'm not concerned with
outside organizations' interference.

My only concern is what
is morally right or wrong.

And if you return a verdict
based on anything other

than the evidence presented
to you in this courtroom,

then you will endanger every custom

and tradition the South holds dear.

And we all know that a true Southerner

would never k*ll a child.

I was born and bred in the South,

and if Emmett Till acted up
and deserved to be punished,

like the defense would have you believe,

then the worst punishment
that should've occurred

was a whipping.

Because down here,

we deal with a child as a child,

not as a man.

♪♪

The fact remains the very first
words of the state's testimony

were dripping with the blood of a child.

And what were those words, gentlemen?

They were "Preacher, Preacher.

I want that boy from Chicago...

The boy that did the talking in Money."

♪♪

[TELEPHONES RINGING]

I've come to collect
my... My witness fee, sir.

Mose Wright's my name.

I know who you are.

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

[MONEY RUSTLING]

♪♪

♪♪

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS IN DISTANCE]

♪♪

♪♪

[FLASHBULB POPS]

- Mr. Wright. Sir.
- Mose. Mose.

Can we get a question from you, sir?

Any comment, sir?

♪♪

Where you going, Preacher?

♪♪

[FLASHBULB POPS]

♪♪

♪♪

[CHATHAM] Now we have
this doctor come up here,

with his degrees and titles,
and he says that he cannot tell

whether the body was white or colored.

Now, if a doctor cannot
tell a Black body from white,

I sure don't want him writing
any prescriptions for me.

[CROWD LAUGHS]

All it took was someone who

knew and loved Emmett Till

to identify him, not
a doctor or a sheriff.

If there was anything
left of Emmett Till...

A hairline, an ear, or
just part of a nose...

Then I say to you that
his mother, Mamie Bradley,

was God's given witness to identify him.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

[CHAIR SLIDES]

♪♪

[BRELAND] Now, in order to, uh,

convict these young men
of m*rder in the first degree,

each of you has to be convinced,

beyond a reasonable
doubt and moral certainty,

that the state has proven their guilt.

The state has proven nothing,
and certainly not m*rder.

Eh, suppose J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant

did take Emmett Till and
later turned him loose.

Suppose old Mose got in his car

and found the boy along
the road as he walked home.

Mose may have taken
him to meet a friend,

involved with people who want to, uh,

defy the customs of the South...

People who may have persuaded
Mose to take Emmett Till's ring

and put it on a rotten, stinking corpse

that could later be
found floating in the river.

Now, when you, uh, walk
into that room to deliberate,

I want you to think about your future.

'Cause when your summons
comes to cross the Great Divide,

and as you enter your father's house...

A home not made by human
hands, but eternal in the heavens...

You can look back to where
your father's feet have trod

and see your good record
written in the sands of time,

and when you go down
to your lonely, silent tomb

to a sleep that knows no dreams,

I want you to hold in
the palm of your hand

a record of service to
God and your fellow man.

[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS]

And the only way you can do

that is to turn these boys loose.

Every last Anglo-Saxon one of you

has the courage to free these men.

♪♪

♪♪

Has the defense completed
their closing arguments?

Your Honor, we have.

[JUDGE SWANGO] The
state has the option of delivering

the final word to the jury,
if you choose to take it.

♪♪

Does the state have
anything else to offer?

♪♪

Yes, Your Honor. We do.

♪♪

What you just heard is the
most far-fetched argument

ever uttered in a courtroom.

Mose Wright didn't help stage a m*rder.

It's simple.

The defendants took the
law into their own hands

and gave that boy a court-martial

with the death penalty imposed

because they didn't think anyone

had the courage to come forward

and do what was morally right.

I am asking you to find that
courage within yourselves today,

because the defense
is right about one thing...

There are outside agitators

trying to destroy our
Southern way of life,

but once we take the life, liberty,

and pursuit of happiness from anyone,

we will be put on the defensive

and become vulnerable
in justifying our stand.

Only so long as we can help

preserve the rights of everyone,

White or Black,

can we keep our way of life.

♪♪

♪♪

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS]

[SIGHS] So, what now?

We just sit here and wait?

[SIGHS] That's all we really can do.

Y-Yes, of course, but in here?

With this humidity? [BREATHING HEAVILY]

I mean, I-I can hardly breathe.

If we leave now, we're
gon' lose our seats.

- [HICKS] All right.
- [PAPER TEARS]

Write down your name and a number.

- And what is he doing?
- [RUBY] Being an ass.

Making wagers.

Predicting how long it's gonna take.

To deliberate?

And acquit.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Everyone's expecting this
to wrap up soon, aren't they?

A quick verdict doesn't
necessarily mean it won't go our way.

[DOOR OPENS]

♪♪

They're not done.

They're thirsty.

[LAUGHTER]

Well, let's get 'em some Cokes.

[LAUGHTER CONTINUES]

Wait, this is a joke to
these people, isn't it?

[LAUGHTER SUBSIDES]

♪♪

[JUROR] Ten not guilty.

Two abstained.

Looks like two of y'all
are trying to hang us.

Guess we gotta sort some
things out before we vote again.

All right.

According to them undertakers,

that body had hair on its chest.

Blacks don't grow hair
on their chest till they're ,

so there ain't no way
the body was that boy's.

Eh, now wait a second.

[STAMMERS] That boy's
mother identified the body.

That body didn't look like nobody.

Eh, it would be pretty hard for a mother

to make a mistake about her own child.

[JUROR] Eh, I didn't
buy a word she said.

And if she tried a little harder,

she might have squeezed
out a few more tears,

don't you think?

Milam and Bryant
confessed to taking the boy.

They let him go,

and what happened to him after
hasn't been proven by the state.

Well, those farmhands...

They saw him on the
way to the Milam property.

They... They... They heard his screams.

And you heard what
happened in that market.

Now, what if it had been
your wife or your sister,

all alone when that
brute strutted in there,

smart-talking her,

thinking he could come down
here and do as he pleased?

♪♪

What we do today means something.

It'll either put folks on notice,

or give 'em permission to do
whatever the hell they please

the next time the
opportunity presents itself.

♪♪

[PAPERS RUSTLE]

♪♪

♪♪

[KNOCK ON DOOR]

[DOOR OPENS]

♪♪

[CROWD MURMURING]

♪♪

Let the courtroom be in order.

♪♪

Have you gentlemen reached a verdict?

Yes.

Has your verdict been made in accordance

with the form that was given to you?

Yes.

Please give the verdict to the clerk.

♪♪

♪♪

For the charge of m*rder,
we the jury find the defendants,

Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam...

♪ I love my baby

♪ With all my might

[REPORTER] We're
broadcasting live outside

of the Tallahatchie County courthouse.

The m*rder trial against
J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant,

the two men accused of k*lling
-year-old n*gro Emmett Till,

has come to an end.

After minutes of deliberation,

the jury has reached a verdict...

Not guilty.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

[HORNS HONKING]

[CLICK, RADIO SHUTS OFF]

minutes.

It was all show.

They threw us a bone.

They gave us a trial because
the world was watching,

and they will claim that
they gave us a fair sh*t,

and that the state of Mississippi did

all that they could do,
and the world will believe it.

Unless we tell them otherwise.

Unless we tell the truth.

I have no doubt that you will.

I said "we."

If Leflore County prosecutes
on kidnapping charges,

we could have another trial ahead of us.

How do we pressure them to
make sure they do prosecute?

Invitations for you to
speak started coming in

the moment you stepped
off that stage in Chicago.

I didn't think it was
appropriate to bother you

with all that business during the trial,

but now that it's over,

what do you think
about getting out there

and telling folks what
really went on down here?

[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS]

I let people see what
they did to Emmett.

Now it's time to tell them.

♪♪

♪♪

I realize it's been
quite a stressful day,

so I appreciate your
time in speaking with us.

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

So, how do you folks
feel now that it's all over?

Roy, how about you?

I'm just glad it's over with.

J.W.?

I am, too.

Mrs. Bryant? Uh...

I'm fine.

- And how about you, Mrs. Milam?
- [JUANITA] Fine.

What happens next for you
folks? What's on the docket?

I haven't decided
yet. I don't know yet.

[REPORTER] Roy, will
you open your store again?

I don't know.

The eyes of a lot of people have
been on you these last few days,

and now you're free
of this m*rder charge.

There's still the kidnapping charge

that has to be taken
care of, too. Is that right?

I don't know. If you want anything

else, you'll have to
talk to our lawyers.

Now, if you'll excuse us.

[GIGGLES]

[FLASHBULBS POP]

[FILM REEL CLICKING]

[FLASHBULB POPS]

I need you fellas to come with me.

What? Where are you taking them?

Leflore County. For processing.

♪♪

All right, make room, make room.

Y'all back off. Back off there.

[SHERIFF SMITH] Afternoon.

J.W. Milam, Roy Bryant,

you're under arrest for the
kidnapping of Emmett Till.

[FLASHBULB POPS]

♪♪

[HANDCUFFS CLICK]

We'll be out in no time.

[HANDCUFFS CLICK]

♪♪

George.

[SIGHS]

Folks are tired, George.

They're ready for this
circus to leave town.

You drag this kidnapping
nonsense on too long,

they'll grow tired of you, too.

I'm gonna do the job
I was elected to do

for as long as I'm
in the Sheriff's Office.

It might serve you well to do the same.

♪♪

Let's get the hell out of here.

[ENGINE STARTS]

♪♪

♪♪

[VEHICLE APPROACHES]

[HORN HONKS]

[BRAKES SQUEAK]

[SIGHS]

Come on, Dallas.

[GRUNTS]

It's time.

[CLANG]

[DOOR OPENS]

Come on.

Come on.

- Morning, Paul.
- Morning.

You sure you're ready to do this?

Yeah. I don't have much choice, do I?

See, that's where you're wrong.

You made a living down here.

You have a little something
left over every month, don't you?

There's not many of
us that can say that.

Surely things'll calm down soon.

Now there's a kidnapping trial.

If there is, won't they
want you to testify?

They will, and I'll come back to do it,

but I won't be staying.

Suppose things won't be getting back

to normal around here anytime soon.

Not for me and my boys, it won't.

Not for any of us.

What's that?

Oh, it's... It's some dog chow.

Some old dried bones.

You gon' be a tough act
to follow, Mose Wright.

You done spoiled this animal.

Yeah.

He's the best dog in seven states.

Mm-hmm.

Hey.

There you go. There you go.

[UPLIFTING MUSIC PLAYS]

You take care of him.

Go on home with Paul, okay?

That's Paul. You're going home with him.

You got it?

All right. Come on. Get going.

♪♪

Go on.

[DALLAS WHIMPERS]

It took guts to get
up there on the stand.

♪♪

You know what else?

Leaving takes guts, too.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[DOOR OPENS]

[PAUL] Get over there, boy. Go on now.

[DOOR CLOSES]

There you go. Go on. Go on.

[ENGINE STARTS]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[SIGHS]

♪♪

♪♪

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

[TRAIN HORN HONKS]

Daddy!

Hey, son!

[CHUCKLING] Hey, boy. Hey.

[LAUGHS] Hi.

Maurice. Gimme that.
Gimme that. Let me. I got it.

[GRUNTING] I got it.

Put it up here. All right.

Good to see you. [LAUGHS]

So, you excited to see Chicago?

And Mama.

I can't wait to see Lincoln Park.

What you know about Lincoln Park?

Bobo told me all about it.

He did?

[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

♪♪

What'd he say?

That Chicago summers were the best.

Hmm.

[SNORTS, LAUGHS]

Yeah.

You'll see.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[BRAKES SCREECH]

[BELL DINGING]

[GENTLE MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

Mama!

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

- [MAMIE] What I saw in that courtroom
- _

was a shame before God and man.

It's about the biggest
farce I have ever seen.

They claim to have their own culture

based on traditions and institutions.

They claim that they are no different

than other people in this country,

and I tell you that is a lie!

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

My son didn't att*ck that woman.

[MAN] No.

He was just a boy.

♪♪

♪♪

And he paid a debt for a lot of people.

But I don't feel that
he is my child anymore.

A little bit of him belongs
to everybody now,

so it is up to all of us to do our part.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Ah.

Welcome to Harlem.

Mr. Wilkins, thank you
so much for coming.

Of course.

I must say, I have never
seen anything like that,

certainly not with a
woman at the microphone.

But first and foremost, I am sorry
that the trial did not go our way.

Thank you.

[RAYFIELD] The good news is
the verdict is on the front page

of every newspaper in the country,

and that means every potential member

of the next grand jury is
already following the story.

I think it's time we took control

of the narrative, don't you think?

Absolutely.

And we'd like to do just that,

by offering you an
exclusive speaking tour,

sponsored by the NAACP.

If you'll have us.

- I'd be honored.
- [CHUCKLES]

Isn't that wonderful, Rayfield?

Yes, of course.

But with all due respect,
as Mamie's advisor,

I would ask that you give
her time to talk to a lawyer...

One who isn't affiliated
with the NAACP...

To make sure she's aware of her options.

As you know, there are many.

Until you've settled on
terms with the NAACP,

you have the freedom to
speak wherever you choose,

but we will need an answer soon,

because the demand is only
gonna grow with each passing day,

especially if you keep
delivering like you did today.

[CHUCKLES] Well, I have faith

we will come to an
agreement we're all happy with.

Until then, I'm gonna keep talking.

Good. Because people are listening.

[APPLAUSE]

Come with me.

[DOOR SQUEAKS]

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

[FLASHBULB POPS]

_

[FLASHBULB POPS]

Let this serve as a reminder
that only you can tell your story.

May I?

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

[UPLIFTING MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

♪♪

[FILM WHIRRING]

♪♪

♪♪

I want you all to support
this wonderful organization,

because they alone
can get laws in the books

to stop these lynchings.

[CROWD SHOUTS IN AGREEMENT]

And they alone can see to it

that what happened in that
trial doesn't happen again.

[CROWD SHOUTS IN AGREEMENT]

We can't leave it in their hands.

Mississippi officials have shown us

that they cannot be trusted to
uphold the laws of this nation,

a nation that my son's father,
Louis Till,

d*ed fighting to protect.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

[FLASHBULBS POP]

[REPORTER] On the day
that the verdict came down,

our members and our leaders
were shocked and revolted

by the fact that the
state of Mississippi

had seen fit to take two murderers

and elevate them to the level of heroes.

The leadership of the United States

has definitely suffered
in Africa and in Europe

because of what's
happened in Mississippi.

The jury that was supposed
to render this verdict

contained not a single
member of the race

of the boy who had been k*lled.

We will continue to battle this thing

until every man, woman,
and child of the United States,

when he goes before a
court of justice, will get justice.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

Days ago, my son's
lynchers were bailed out of jail

by a group of plantation owners

who banded together to raise $ , ...

So that those men could get
back to supporting their families

until the grand jury convenes.

[CROWD BOOS]

We must do more than complain.

[CROWD SHOUTS "YES"]

We must band together, just like them.

We must use our anger and our voices.

And if our calls and letters
and telegrams are ignored...

We must b*at them at their own game

and protest the state of Mississippi

with our pocketbooks!

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

[INSPIRING MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

- [ROY] Carolyn!
- [CAR HORN HONKS]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

I just wanted to make
sure I got everything.

♪♪

Ain't like there's much to get.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

The NAACP is using this woman
to collect huge sums of money

based on distorted facts.

She's a grieving mother.

She's a puppet.

The Northern papers are
printing her hate propaganda

like it's gospel, knowing damn well

she's painting Mississippi
with a dangerous brush.

"They're calling Mississippi
the purgatory of racial tension

and a hellhole of American democracy.

How long are we gonna
let them get away with that?"

"If Till was really k*lled,

then the NAACP, its mongrel leaders,

and the abominable
excuse for a Supreme Court

are solely responsible, not us."

This is just today's mail.

We need a rebuttal...

A story powerful enough to silence them

so that our readers feel heard.

What about the boy's father?

What about him? He's dead, right?

A w*r hero, d*ed overseas.
There's no story there.

Senator Eastland seems to
think there's more to it than that.

It's time we did a little digging.

Packton, you were hot
on this back in September.

You go ahead and take the lead.

I'll meet you in D.C.

From there, we'll head to Grand
Rapids and then Des Moines.

Well, I suppose I should
be grateful to get a few days

to rest and recharge in
Chicago with Gene and Mama.

I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

I know it's been tough,
but these next few weeks

before the grand jury
convenes are critical,

and while you're home,
you need to talk to a lawyer

so we can start negotiating.

I am not looking to
get rich off of any tour.

I just want to pay my rent.

[WILKINS] Good afternoon.

Roy. What brings you down here?

This.

♪♪

_

_

- How much did you know?
- Please, Mr. Wilkins.

I learned about Louis' death
by telegram years ago.

And what did it say?

I-It said he... He was charged with

willful misconduct in Italy.

And what did that mean to
you... "willful misconduct?"

- I didn't know.
- He was ex*cuted!

Hanged for r*pe, Mamie.

And by you leaving that
detail out of your speeches,

people are saying that you implied
that he d*ed for our country in w*r.

[GROANS]

I didn't believe it, all right?

This country isn't the only
place where they [SNIFFLES]

lynch Black men for
looking at white women.

- But you have no proof.
- Neither did they!

♪♪

Louis Till was a bad husband.

He stepped out. He put his hands on me.

I am not proud of any of that.

I-I am ashamed, but that
has nothing to do with Emmett.

He barely knew his father.

He... He didn't learn
a thing from that man.

♪♪

"Like father, like son."

♪♪

It is no coincidence
that this story came out

right before the grand
jury hearing, is it?

If I had known, Mamie, I could
have gotten ahead of this thing.

I cannot let that poison the jury.

I-I... I-I have to fight this.

Unfortunately, you don't have much time.

If you want the last word,
you must control the message.

Let us help you do that.

Mamie's exhausted.

If you want her to continue for you,

she deserves a
substantial piece of the tour.

That's our bottom line.

Enough!

I can't do this right now.

Not while they're saying
these sick things about my boy.

I am sorry, but I need to go.

- Mamie.
- Thank you...

for everything you've done, both of you,

but I need to be alone.

♪♪

♪♪

Well, now, they haven't...
[SIGHS] said a word about that night

to anybody but me,

so why should they
tell some fiction writer?

[CHUCKLES]

I'll pay.

How much?

$ , ,

to be divided among the three of you.

Now, Mr. Breland, of course,

will receive his commission.

In addition to your advance,

LOOKmagazine will add
a percentage of the profits

from the publication of the story.

Mm-hmm.

[ROY] I don't know, J.W.

I ain't feeling right about all this.

[MILAM] Oh, really?

You feeling right about
your market being closed?

Or how y'all feeling about not being

able to put food in your boys' mouths

'cause everybody jumped ship?

[SIGHS]

What would we have to do?

Confess.

[SIGHS]

I will make no claim that the story

is based on a confession
from the actual K*llers,

but rather from very reliable sources.

Mm.

Now, this story will
be billed as my version

of exactly what happened...

Exactly what was said,
exactly what was done

at exactly what date and what hour.

But I will not state, declare, or claim

that I had the assistance
of any particular person.

And what happens if they get indicted

on them kidnapping
charges in the coming days?

Well, if there's a trial, the
magazine won't publish the story

until there's a verdict,

but I don't want to wait for all that.

Once you sign that contract, we begin,

and we'll need to keep
our meetings quiet.

I don't see any reason
why anybody should know

what's being discussed in this office.

And even if we meet
in secret, things happen.

People talk. What then?

If I'm subpoenaed for some reason,

I will invoke my constitutional right

to withhold my sources.

I'll refuse to testify.

So, we have a deal?

[TENSE MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

Well, if it isn't my favorite
Yankee, Mr. Dan Wakefield.

I guess Strider's deputies
are gonna have to try

a little harder to keep
you out of the Delta, huh?

I guess so, yeah. [CHUCKLES]

What a piss-poor turnout.

Yeah, well, this case is
bigger than any courthouse,

but you know that firsthand, don't you?

What's eating at you?

Before the m*rder trial, the
case was all about a wolf-whistle.

Once the press got wind of
Carolyn Bryant's testimony,

it turned into something
else... Attempted r*pe.

The story about his father
really ties it all together,

- doesn't it?
- Now, listen...

Your paper justified the boy's m*rder.

We just reported the facts,

and we did so with an
editorial assuring readers

that the details of
Till's father's execution

had no bearing on this kidnapping case.

[DOOR OPENS]

I guess you're about to find out
if any of that's true, aren't you?

[COURT CLERK] The grand
jury has reached decisions

in all of the cases under consideration.

It's over.

No trial.

They're free.

No.

Don't leave the shop, Gene.

I-I-I'm fine.

Call Mama, will you?

I can't bear it.

[RECEIVER CLACKS]

[TELEPHONE RINGS]

[RECEIVER CLATTERS]

[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[WRINGER WHIRRING]

♪♪

[WHIRRING STOPS]

♪♪

[SWITCH CLICKING]

♪♪

[GRUNTS]

♪♪

Emmett!

[SOBBING]

♪♪

♪♪

[SOBBING CONTINUES]

♪♪

[DOOR OPENS]

♪♪

[DOOR CLOSES]

♪♪

♪♪

[SOBS, SNIFFLES]

I've been calling, baby.

Everybody has.

I am so sorry.

Washing machine's broke, Mama.

Okay.

Then we'll fix it.

Emmett was always doing laundry.

He had to have his clothes just so.

That boy had too much
pride for his own good.

- Stop that.
- No, Mama. Don't you see?

He went and broke the
damn machine before he left,

and he kept it from me.

What you mean he broke it?

You haven't done laundry in two months?

I was never home long enough.

Oh.

[CLICKING]

[SIGHS, SNIFFLES]

[CLINKING]

[WASHING MACHINE WHIRRING]

[SWITCH CLICKS, WHIRRING STOPS]

Just needed to give it a-a little TLC.

You always swoop in to
save the day, don't you?

On a day like today,

I wish that I could.

I just don't know how I'm
gonna get through the holidays.

[SIGHS]

[VOICE BREAKING] It'll be our
first Thanksgiving without him.

Meanwhile, those men are
free to carve their turkeys

and watch their boys open
presents on Christmas morning.

When I think of that,
when I think of...

Of all that I'll miss,

of all that they've taken from me,

I can't help but wonder what
more I could've done to see to it

that they paid for what they did.

Unh-unh.

[CRYING]

God'll see to it.

I-I should've fought harder.

I-I could've been
louder than those articles

about his father, and...

You did more than most women

could have done in your position.

Most women would have
taken to their bed for months...

For years...

And they would've had every right

to have done just that.

What if I had been... been...

Been harder on him,
like you were with me?

M-Maybe he... He would still be here.

Enough.

That woman...

Those monsters...

They poisoned the jury.

[SNIFFLES]

Don't let them get
inside your head, too.

[SOBS] But I can't get them out.

- I...
- You got to try, because...

Because there are
things we'll never know.

♪♪

Like what really happened to him.

♪♪

They took his body,

not his spirit.

♪♪

His death woke up the world, Mamie.

♪♪

But I never wanted him
to be a martyr, Mama.

[CRYING] I know.

I-I never...

No, no, no, no.

I never wanted that.

♪♪

♪♪

To freedom.

- Freedom.
- To freedom.

- [GLASSES CLINK]
- All right.

Well, a-all right,
al... All right, all right.

Let's take it easy on the swill, now.

I need you thinking straight.

Straight as I'll ever be.

[CHUCKLING] Okay.

So, I'd like to start by, uh, clearing
up a rumor that's been eating up

a lot of folks' time
since all this began.

Hmm.

Now, you had at least two white men

and three Negroes
with you all that night,

- and I want their names.
- No, we were alone.

You even think about
printing anything else,

I'll tear that contract up right now.

Don't act like you don't know
about the double jeopardy law.

These boys can't be tried
again, even with a confession,

but if they incriminate someone else,

charges could be brought
against those parties.

Of course. Of course.

Y'all can't blame me for
digging, now, can you?

[CHUCKLES] All right.

Uh, so, I want to start with,
uh, the night you took Emmett

from Mose Wright's home.

It was, uh, August
th of , correct?

Yeah.

What sent you there?

My brother and me had
heard that this Chicago n*gg*r

had gotten mouthy,
whistled at my sister-in-law.

One of my workers said
that he was staying

with the old preacher,

and so, we drove out to
Mose Wright's and asked for him,

and the preacher led us right to him.

[THUD]

- Please.
- You want out of this?

Stay down and shut the hell up.

[ENGINE RUMBLES]

[VEHICLE DEPARTS]

♪♪

So, when you got him,

did you take him back to, uh, the market

for Mrs. Bryant to identify?

♪♪

- J.W.?
- Yeah?

You take him back to the market?

No.

Well, no reason to.

He didn't deny he was
the one done the talking,

so we didn't need her. We knew.

We knew.

[DOORS OPEN, CLOSE]

[ENGINE REVS]

♪♪

♪♪

After we left the uncle's,
we just went driving,

looking for a spot just to
scare some sense into the boy.

♪♪

Here he is.

The smart talker.

[ROY] Well, now, looky here.

Ain't saying much now, boy, are you?

[WHIMPERING]

♪♪

[LIQUID POURING]

Ahh.

Go.

♪♪

Come on. Go on.

♪♪

[WHIMPERING]

What kinda poison they
pumping in you up north

to make you think it's
okay to run your filthy mouth

to my wife?

[SCREAMS, CRYING]

[MILAM] He was tough.

We never could scare him enough.

Throughout the whole
ordeal, he never even hollered.

[PUNCHES LANDING, EMMETT SCREAMING]

♪♪

We drove around with him in
the back of the truck for hours.

He never even tried to run.

♪♪

All right, get him out. Come on!

If folks haven't already
started looking for him, they will.

Well, why the hell
did you bring him here?

We got lost.

Well, I got fields to work, I
got farmhands gonna show up.

Take care of it.

♪♪

The boy was hopeless, so
we took him back to my place.

And that's where we whipped him.

[WHIP CRACKING, EMMETT SCREAMING]

[DOOR SQUEAKS]

♪♪

♪♪

[HUIE] The farmhands,
uh, said they saw you

with the boy at a plantation
run by your brother, Leslie.

No, we were at my
shop, like I just said to you.

♪♪

- Okay.
- Okay.

All right.

[WHIP CRACKING, EMMETT SCREAMING]

♪♪

[MILAM] He just kept
saying he wasn't afraid of us.

Kept saying he was as good as us.

Just taunting us.

Even said that he had white women.

♪♪

[g*n CLICKS]

[WEAKLY] Mama.

[g*nsh*t]

Uh...

So you... you whipped
him good at your place.

Then what?

We got back in my truck.

[HUIE] Could the boy walk on his own?

Yeah. Sure.

Was he bleeding?

[MILAM] Not much.

p*stol-whipping
bruises more than it cuts.

- So, you left your shop...
- Mm-hmm.

And we went to Progressive
Ginning Company.

We took an old gin fan

and made the boy load it
up on the back of the truck,

and then we drove
off looking for that bluff.

We were hell-bent on finding that.

Was he alive when y'all got there?

Yeah.

That's where we made him undress.

♪♪

He didn't like that.

[BOTH GRUNTING]

And after, we just kind of stood there

for a little while, just
hating each other.

♪♪

All right, get the fan.

And then I gave him
a chance to fix things.

I said, "You still had white women?"

♪♪

He said, "Yeah."

♪♪

So, I stood there and listened to him

throw that poison at me,
and I just made up my mind.

I was gonna make an example out of him.

♪♪

So I sh*t him.

♪♪

Ready? One, two, three!

[GROANS]

One, two, three.

[SPLASH]

[WATER BUBBLES]

[PANTING]

♪♪

[ANNOUNCER] Headlines
screamed across the nation,

millions of words were written about it,

a trial would be held,
yet the truth about

the Emmett Till k*lling in Mississippi

remained hidden until now.

The brutal step-by-step account

of what happened on that fateful night.

Get your copy of LOOK early.

[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

♪♪

I don't know how much more I can stand.

How I can go on.

These horrible lies
they tell to explain away

the k*lling of a child in cold blood...

A child that they portrayed as a man...

A man who never fought
back and who... who...

Who was defiant until the end.

They... They aren't
human. They're beasts.

And that woman...

I don't even see how
she can sleep at night.

I used to think there was
a reason for all this pain...

That God had given me
a purpose and a mission,

and I was happy to accept it

when I thought that people
were listening, but here we are.

Some white man just put
his name on that, and that is it.

End of story!

It's only the end if you say so.

What can I say now?

Nothing I have said or ever
will say is going to matter,

because that trash is
now my son's legacy!

And the sick thing is, if
it weren't for this article,

people would have
forgotten about Emmett.

- Well, that's not true.
- Open a paper.

Turn on a television.
Emmett is old news now.

People are thinking about what's next.

[GENE] Come on, now.
That's not true, Mamie.

But it is!

I used to be a part of the movement.

Now I am just sitting at
home, watching it unfold,

while folks like Martin Luther King

and Rosa Parks are out
there making things happen.

I don't expect for you to understand.

But I do.

You feel...

left behind.

♪♪

And you're full of regrets...

Of all the things you wish
you had said but couldn't.

You couldn't...

because you didn't know.

Just like I couldn't have known
that I'd never get the chance

to try to be the father he deserved.

Oh, I can't do this right now.

I can't take it, your... your tenderness

and... and your kind words.

I am just not in the right mind.

Be angry, but do it with me.

Marry me.

Ridiculous.

What, you call that a proposal?

♪♪

How is it any more ridiculous
than all the other times I've done it?

You remember when I asked you to

marry me at the dinner
table last summer?

Mose was there.

Alma, too.

And Emmett.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

He was my protector.

♪♪

And I wasn't there for him
when he needed me most.

♪♪

Well, I don't think he'd want you stuck.

I think he'd want you to move forward.

And I'm not just talking about with me.

Your words sparked
the whole world to fight.

But right now, it's not the
world who needs that spark.

It's you.

♪♪

I want it back.

♪♪

That spark.

Then get out there and find it.

[BRAKES SQUEAL NEARBY]

♪♪

♪♪

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

♪♪

♪♪

I've been living in the
moment for too long.

Maybe it's time I focus on what's next.

Mm-hmm.

There it is.

That spark.

A-Ask me again.

What?

That ridiculous question of yours.

♪♪

What was it again?

[BOTH LAUGH]

♪♪

♪♪

Will you marry me?

♪♪

Mm-hmm.

[LAUGHTER]

♪♪

[SIGHS]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Mrs. Bradley?

It's an honor. I'm Rita.

Oh, calling me Mamie's just fine.

It's nice to meet you.

I remember my mama skipping work

to get in line for your son's viewing.

When she got home that
night, she just... held me.

She was saying how brave you were,

how things were gonna start
changing because of what you did.

She was right.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

[MAMIE] When you find out
that you're gonna be a mother,

you have all these ideas in your head

about how your baby's gonna look

and who he's gonna be.

And then all of a sudden, he's here,

and none of that stuff matters anymore

because he decides

and you just let him be.

[NEWS ANCHOR] On December , ,

many of Montgomery's busses were empty,

the result of a n*gro boycott that began

when Rosa Parks made
a momentous decision.

I didn't feel that

I was being treated as a human being.

I refused to give up the seat.

I said, "No."

[MAMIE] And then, when he falls,

you blame yourself for
not being around enough,

or for being around too much.

And you can't help it.

You're a mother.

It's what we do.

[DR. KING] The year-old
protest is officially called off,

and the n*gro citizens of Montgomery

are urged to return to the
busses tomorrow morning

on a non-segregated basis.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

[MAMIE] There will come a day

when you'll be forced to let go,

and all you can do is hope
that you've done enough

to prepare him for the world.

[REPORTER] ... Arkansas,
where nine n*gro students

were blocked from entering the school

by the National Guard.

Today, on what marks
the -year anniversary

of the death of Emmett
Till, Martin Luther King Jr.

And nearly , people
from across the United States

marched on Washington
for jobs and freedom.

[CROWD CHANTING "NOW!"]

[MAMIE] I thought I failed
to prepare you, Emmett.

I tried to ignore it for
some time... that blame...

But it was always here,
buried deep in my bones.

I kept myself busy, so
I didn't have to feel it.

I'd just go, go, go because I felt like

I was part of something big.

It was a great distraction...

[TV TURNS OFF]

... until I wasn't part
of anything at all.

♪♪

_

♪♪

_

♪♪

♪♪

I had to sit in the stillness

and feel my feelings,

until the truth finally
revealed itself to me.

I didn't fail to prepare
you for the world.

The world failed you.

♪♪

It wasn't ready for you, my boy.

My Bobo.

It still isn't.

But I believe it will be, one day.

I have to believe...

because of all the little

boys out there just like you.

♪♪

Boys whose mamas raised
them to live in a better world

than the world they were born into.

[SOLEMN MUSIC PLAYS]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

I'm just glad it's over with.

- [REPORTER] Mrs. Bryant?
- I'm fine.


I want to say that I feel that

Emmett was more or less loaned to me...

That perhaps I wasn't his mother

in the sense that other women
are mothers to their children,

but I appreciate the
years that we spent together.

It was a joy watching
the unfolding of his mind

and the development of his body,

and I don't regret a minute of
the time that we spent together.

I'm just sorry that it was so short.