A former Temple U law professor speaks about how the Emmett Till murder trial shaped the Civil Rights Movement
The kidnapping, beating and murder of Till, for “whistling at a white woman” would become an international story and a turning point in the modern-day Civil Rights Movement.l, believes. “Both Ron and Janai have done so much to educate Americans about the history of the Civil Rights Movement and we’re looking forward to learning from both of them,” Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, said in an email.The Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama began on Dec. 5, 1955, a few days after Parks was arrested on Dec. 1 for refusing to give up her seat to a white man.
“I was sitting in the courtroom thinking, ‘This is where it happened,’"Collins told the Inquirer. Collins left the court room “wanting to hear more about the story. The court reporter during the trial had not bothered to record the closing arguments in the case. Collins said he had to go to the Black newspapers and magazines that covered the trial to piece together the closing arguments.