Taraji P. Henson is no stranger to starring in films that have root in controversy, and the biopic that she’s set to star in regarding Emmett Till, which will be directed by John Singleton, is just such a story. Emmett Till was a 14-year old African American youth that was lynched in Mississippi back in 1955 after supposedly making improper advances towards a white woman in a public market. What those advances might have been might seem trivial in today’s world since the laws regarding colored folk back in those days were somewhat crazy and very restrictive. But the gist of it is that the woman somehow felt threatened and it eventually cost Till his life.
Later on the woman recanted and told people that she had in fact made up the story of how Till approached her. The fact remains that he did talk to her, but thanks the lay of the land in Mississippi at that time she had felt that his simple words were an offense that couldn’t be tolerated. Henson is going to be playing the role of Mamie Till Bradley, Emmett’s mother. Mamie was the one that helped bring this injustice into the American eye and eventually make certain that it served as a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement. Her part in the true story was such that she held an open casket for her son so that others could see what had been done to him and to make it clear that such an injustice was not right.
Emmett was hanged and then sunk into a river. By the time his body was recovered he was still recognizable but an open casket funeral served only the purpose of allowing people to witness the cruelty of two men, one of them the husband of the woman that had accused Emmett of acting indecently. The sad part is that back in those days it didn’t take much for people to be offended, and it would seem that we’re now headed in the same direction. Thankfully the issues between races are not always as violent as they used to be, but the tensions still remain even after all this time and the reality is that people are still being instructed with lessons based on nonsensical hatred of others for no good reason.
Henson has proven herself many times over as a very talented actress and someone that will gladly stand up and fight the good fight in terms of allowing her message to be displayed for the world to see. Her roles in Hidden Figures and even in Hustle & Flow have shown her in a vulnerable and untenable state, but they have also showed that she is a much stronger woman than her character appears to be, and is more than willing to stand up for what she believes in.
There’s no start date yet for production, but Henson is already on board and ready and willing to let the story, titled The Emmett Till Story, be told in full.
Follow Us
