What role did Keith Beauchamp and Stanley Nelson play in the re-opening of the Emmett Till murder trial?

-Keith Beauchamp and Stanley Nelson were both film makers at the time and were very interested in the murder case of Emmett Till, so they decided to make a documentary on the case. The film brought new light and possible evidence to the justice of Emmett Till and a lot of publicity about the case was produced.

What controversial decision did Mamie Mobley make regarding her son’s funeral?

-Mamie Mobley, mother of Emmett Till, decided to leave his casket open at his funeral to bring recognition and awareness to his case and also the poor conditions of racism in the south at the time. It was a very rough decision for her, but she knew it would show how horrific things were and that it wasn’t just an old folk tale of the North.

What did Mrs. Mobley say to Mr. Beauchamp when he started researching the murder of Emmett Till?

-She told Mr. Beauchamp that he was “about to grab a rattlesnake by the tail”. This meant that the re-opening of this case was going to be difficult and probably something he didn’t want to do. He did it anyway, and in the end, it was the right decision and it did what him and Mr. Nelson wanted it to do. It brought awareness and evidence, and hopefully justice for Emmett Till.