The name Emmett Till resonates deeply within the annals of American history, symbolizing the brutal realities of racial violence and the fight for civil rights. Yet, beyond the tragic circumstances of his death, there lies an untold story—a narrative of potential, promise, and the life that could have been. Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, a professor at Harvard, sought to explore this untold story through a unique lens: photography.
In her exhibition, What If Emmett Till Lived? curated at Columbia College Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP), Lewis invites viewers to envision a different reality for Till. This is not an investigation into his murder but a celebration of the life that was lost. The exhibition, guided by Reverend Wheeler Parker, Jr., Till’s best friend and witness to his abduction, aims to honor Till’s right to life and the potential that was stolen from him.
The tragic events of August 1955
On August 24, 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till, a Chicago native, was visiting relatives near Money, Mississippi. An alleged encounter with Carolyn Bryant, a white shopkeeper, led to his kidnapping, torture, and murder on August 28, 1955. His abductors, Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam, were never convicted for their crimes. Till’s body was found in the Tallahatchie River, weighed down with a cotton-gin fan.
The horrific images of Till’s open-casket funeral, as insisted by his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, became a catalyst for the civil rights movement. These photographs, Lewis argues, were essential in transforming societal witnessing and igniting moral outrage. However, the resistance to acknowledging the details of Till’s case, even today, sparked Lewis’s desire to create this exhibition.
A photographic journey through potential
Lewis’s curation process was meticulous and spiritual. She combed through 18,000 photographs, seeking images that represented the potential of Till’s life. The exhibition features works by over 110 artists, including Annie Leibovitz, Francesco Scavullo, and Bruce Davidson. The images chosen are not what one might expect from a project related to such a tragic event. Instead, they are filled with hope and positivity, depicting scenes of everyday life, joy, and freedom.
The exhibition’s companion piece, If Emmett Till Lived: A Creative Monument is a photo and essay collection that further explores the theme of potential. The images are simple, relatable scenes that represent the life Till could have lived—a father playing with a baby, children playing, a cup of coffee, a scoop of ice cream. These images serve as proxies for Till, representing the opportunities and freedoms that were taken from him.
The power of photography in witnessing
Lewis’s approach to the exhibition was intentional. She wanted to move beyond the explicit violence often associated with Till’s story. Instead, she focused on the power of photography to bear witness and inspire collective remembrance. The exhibition is a testament to the power of photography to insist on remembrance as an active, collective responsibility.
Peter Cochrane, one of the artists whose work is featured in the exhibition, understands Lewis’s reasoning. He believes that while images of violence can strike a chord initially, they can also become numbing over time. Lewis’s choice of images, he argues, are the kind that stick with us forever, the kind that we never forget.
Endurance and the power of generation time
Lewis hopes that the exhibition can counteract despair with the reminder that living in generation time is important. She cites activist W. E. B. Du Bois, who needed to maintain his fortitude because of what was to come. Lewis believes that we will have another flourishing, another time. She argues that generation time requires keeping an eye on two things at once: what’s required for the moment and what’s required for the era. The era, she says, requires endurance.
The exhibition, What If Emmett Till Lived? opened at MoCP on September 10, 2026, and will run until December 19, 2026. Its companion publication, If Emmett Till Lived: A Creative Monument is available now.
