Preserving Emmett Till’s Legeacy

Jessie Jaynes-Diming, a civil rights tour guide.

Jessie Jaynes-Diming is a civil rights tour guide in Mississippi. She does this to help keep Emmett Till’s story alive, especially for those that haven’t heard of it. This is important for her to do because those that live in Mississipi where this tragedy occured they have never heard of it. So, she makes it her mission to inform those that do not know of his story. Since a lot of the Mississippi community didn’t or doesn’t know about Emmett Till’s story I think it’s important for them to know because it helps to keep Emmett Till’s story from being buried and forgotten. It could be important for me because it educates me about the fact that things like this were still happening half a century ago and still reflects in everyday life today.

Emmett Till’s cousins, Airickca Gordon-Taylor (left) and her mother Ollie Gordon (right).  

Airickca Gordan-Taylor is head of the Mamie Till-Mobley foundation that honors Emmett Till’s legacy. Airickca and her mother are dedicated to commemorating their cousin. They have a bulletproof memorial that they have to help rememeber Emmett Till. This is important for them to do because they want to keep their cousin’s story alive to make sure that no one forgets it, especially when it comes to people defacing the bulletproof memorial. I think that this work is important for the Mississippi community because it will help to keep those educated about the event and so they can honor Emmett Till as well. It could be important for me because if I were to visit Mississippi I would be able to learn more about Emmett Till’s leagacy and be able to honor him as well.

The way that I preserve the legacy of my space and what is meant for my identity is I make sure to not tolerate any disrespect towards me or anything within my space. That can include furniture, decorations, etc. Disrespect can certainly throw off the atmosphere of my space and I do not want that. That is why it is important for me to do this. It is important for the broader community, such as my friends and family because they will know how to treat me while they are in my space, which is with respect and they will get the same in return. It could be important to share the impact of my space beyond those immediately impacted by it because again people will know to be respectful towards me within my space and will be able to receive it in return from me.