>> IT'S BEEN MORE THAN 65 YEARS
SINCE 14-YEAR-OLD EMMETT TILL, A
BLACK CHICAGOAN VISITING FAMILY
IN MISSISSIPPI WAS KIDNAPPED,
TORTURED AND MURDERED BY TWO
WHITE MEN WOULD WENT UNPUNISHED.
THE BRUTAL NATURE OF TILL'S
DEATH EXPOSED BY HIS MOTHER'S
DECISION FOR AN OPEN CASKET
FUNERAL IN 1955 HELPED GALVANIZE
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
THIS WEEK GEORGE FLOYD'S BROTHER
INVOKED EMMETT TILL'S NAME.
>> EMMETT TILL WAS THE FIRST
GEORGE FLOYD.
IT JUST WASN'T ANY CAMERAS
AROUND.
THAT IS THE ONLY THING THAT
CHANGED THE CAMERAS THE
TECHNOLOGY IT HELPED OPEN UP
DOORS.
WITHOUT THAT MY BROTHER WOULD
HAVE BEEN ANOTHER PERSON ON THE
SIDE OF THE ROAD LEFT TO DIE.
>> AND JOINING US TO PROVIDE HIS
PERSPECTIVE IS EMMETT TILL'S
COUSIN AND THE LAST SURVIVING
WITNESS OF TILL'S ABDUCTION.
REVEREND WHEELER PARKER.
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION A FEW
DAYS AGO WHEN THE VERDICT WAS
READ IN DEREK CHAUVIN'S TRIAL?
>> IF I HAD TO USE ONE WORD
UNBELIEVABLE.
>> WHY UNBELIEVABLE?
>> WHEN YOU LIVE IN A SYSTEM AND
YOU HAVE THE EXPERIENCES THAT
I'VE HAD AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE
SPIRIT OF THE COUNTRY IS, AND
FOR THIS TO COME OUT LIKE THAT,
IT JUST LIKE I SAID IT'S TWO
LAWS ONE FOR THE BLACKS AND
WHITES.
AND THERE'S TWO BOOKS AS WE SAY.
AND FOR THE JURY TO COME
FORTHWITH GUILTY ON ALL CHARGES
IT WAS ABOUT AS UNBELIEVABLE AS
LAST YEAR WHEN THEY HAD THE
DIVERSIFYING IN THE PROTESTS
THAT WAS UNBELIEVABLE AS WELL.
THINGS ARE REALLY CHANGING FAST
FOR THE OLD MAN.
I'M NOT ACCUSTOMED TO THINGS
CHANGING AND HAPPEN THAT FAST
UNDER THE WHEELS OF JUSTICE BUT
THEY GRIND SLOW.
>> WHAT DOES IT SAY TO YOU THAT
SO MANY BLACK PEOPLE WERE
SURPRISED BY THE VERDICT?
>> IT TELLS ME THAT IT REALLY
SHOWS HOW MUCH PROGRESS WE'VE
MADE.
AND WE'VE MADE A LOT OF
PROGRESS.
THE YOUNG PEOPLE CAN'T SEE IT
AND DON'T UNDERSTAND IT BECAUSE
IF YOU DIDN'T LIVE IN THE SOUTH
IN THE 50s AND THE 40s, YOU
HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS LIKE.
SO THEY CAN'T SEE A BIG CHANGE
BECAUSE THEY SEE THE SPIRIT THAT
WAS JUST MAGNIFIED DURING THE
LAST PRESIDENTIAL AND LAST FEW
YEARS.
AND THEY SAID WE HAVE NOT
CHANGED THAT MUCH BUT WE'VE
CHANGED.
IT SAYS TO ME THERE'S HOPE.
>> GEORGE FLOYD'S BROTHER HIS
IMMEDIATE REACTION FOLLOWING THE
VERDICT WAS TO INVOKE YOUR
COUSIN EMMETT TILL.
CALLING HIM THE FIRST GEORGE
FLOYD.
SOME MIGHT SAY THERE HAVE BEEN
MANY IN-BETWEEN.
HOW DO YOU SEE IT?
>> I SEE IT I COULD CONCUR WITH
HIM BECAUSE OF COURSE WHEN I
HEARD AND SAW WHAT HAPPENED TO
HIM I THOUGHT ABOUT EMMETT TILL
RIGHT AWAY.
THE SPIRIT OF THE COUNTRY THAT
SPIRIT IS STILL OUT THERE.
IT HASN'T GONE ANYWHERE.
WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
AND I CONCUR WITH HIM.
EMMITT'S STORY HE WAS NOT FIRST
ONE BUT HIS STORY WAS THE FIRST
THAT WENT VIRAL.
IT WENT ALL OVER THE WORLD.
LIKE AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS
COME.
AND SEEMED LIKE GOD USED THAT
TIME TO HELP HASTEN THINGS OR TO
START PEOPLE TO THINKING AND
STANDING UP AND MOVING IN THE
RIGHT WAY.
IT DEFINITELY HAD A BOOST DID
WHAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO DO.
>> IN THE CASE OF EMMETT TILL,
THE TWO WHITE MEN ACCUSED OF
KILLING HIM THEY WENT UNPUNISHED
THOUGH THEY ADMITTED TO IT IN
LIFE MAGAZINE AFTER HIS DEATH
AND THIS INSTANCE THE ACCUSED
KILLER HAS BEEN CONVICTED.
DO YOU SEE BIG DIFFERENCES
BETWEEN THESE TWO CASES?
>> LIKE I SAID WE'VE MADE
PROGRESS.
AND THE EMMETT TILL CASE ONE
THING YOU HAVE TO ADMIT, TOO,
THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME EVER
THAT A WHITE PERSON WAS PUT ON
TRIAL FOR DOING SOMETHING TO A
BLACK PERSON.
THAT WAS PROGRESS AT THAT TIME
65 YEARS AGO.
BUT THAT WAS PROGRESS THEY HAD A
TRIAL.
AND THEN HERE IN GEORGE FLOYD'S
CASE, WE GOT A CONVICTION.
AND WE SURPRISEDDED BY THAT.
AND THERE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN
PEOPLE OF DIVERSITY WHEN PLAQUES
MADE PROGRESS THERE WERE ALWAYS
PEOPLE OF THE DIVERSITY THEY HAD
THE FIRE IN THEIR BELLY TO STAND
UP AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT AND THAT
IS WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKING IT
FORWARD TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND I
THINK PEOPLE ARE STANDING EMMETT
TILL SAID PEOPLE STOOD UP THAT
NEVER STOOD UP BEFORE.
>> HOW DID HIS MOTHER HOW DID
SHE CHANNEL HER ENERGY AFTER
EMMETT TILL DIED?
>> GOOD QUESTION.
WE DON'T KNOW THAT BECAUSE WE
DON'T TALK ABOUT IT.
BUT SHE WAS HURT AND BITTER AND
ANGER BUT SHE TOOK THAT LEMON
AND MADE LEMONADE.
SHE DID ALL SHE COULD THEN SHE
STARTED HELPING PEOPLE.
SHE GOT BUSY SERVING HUMANITY.
SHE FORMED EMMETT TILL PLAYERS
WITH HER MOTHER AND SHE TAUGHT
DEVELOPED THE SKILLS BY HAVING
THEM QUOTING MARTIN LUTHER KING,
JR. SPEECHES AND SHE WENT ALL
OVERDOING THAT.
A BUSY LADY.
THERE WAS A DOCUMENTARY BACK IN
1985.
IF YOU LISTEN TO HER, SHE HAD
PITY FOR THOSE WHO KILLED HER
SON.
SHE DIDN'T CARRY HATE BECAUSE
HATE DESTROYS THE HATER.
SHE TOOK THAT HATE AND SHE
TRANSFORMED IT INTO SOMETHING
POSITIVE.
BECAUSE I TELL PEOPLE WHERE I GO
HATE --
I CANNOT AFFORD HATE.
>> AND REVEREND PARKER, THIS
VERDICT DOES NOT PUT AN END TO
RACIAL INJUSTICE HOW DO YOU
THINK THE MOVEMENT AGAINST
INJUSTICE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD?
>> I THINK ALWAYS TELL ME HOW
DID WE GET TO WHERE WE ARE?
LOOK HOW WE GOT HERE AND THE
THINGS WE DID.
LET'S BE PATIENT AND LET'S KEEP
DOING THE SAME THING.
IF YOU ARE GET IMPATIENT YOU ARE
GOING TO TAKE THE LAW INTO YOUR
OWN HANDS AND THAT IS WHAT SOME
PEOPLE DO YOU ARE GOING TO BE A
LOSER.
A FRIEND OF MINE SAID HIS DADDY
TOLD HIS SON HIS SON WAS GOING
TO PLEAD A CASE SOMEONE HAD
TAKEN AND MISUSED DISRESPECTED
HER.
HE SAID I'M GOING TO STRAIGHTEN
IT OUT.
HE SAYS SON IT'S GOING TO
CHANGE.
BUT WHAT YOU ARE FIXING TO DO
YOU WILL NOT BE HERE TO SEE THE
CHANGE.
SOMETIMES PEOPLE WANT TO YOU GET
VIOLENT SO THEY CAN GET VIOLENT
WITH YOU AND YOU WILL BE A
LOSER.
>> IT'S ABOUT HOW YOU RESPOND TO
THE SITUATION THAT YOU ARE IN AS
WE'VE DISCUSSED.