Emmitt Till, "I Have A Dream", and Age Being More Than A Number

On this day in 1955 Emmitt Till was kidnapped, mutilated, and murdered by a group of white men because a white woman, Carole Bryant, falsely accused him of assaulting her.

Photograph: AP

On this day in 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I Have A Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial as part of the March on Washington. King urged the United States of America to "make real the promises of democracy" for all citizens, not just whites.

Photograph: Getty Images

It's been 64 years since Emmitt Till's murder.

It's been 55 years since King's speech.

Black folx are still being persecuted and killed based on the color of their skin and the values of white supremacy.

The "promises of democracy" still do not exist for the overwhelming majority of non-white citizens, as white supremacy continues to cage up melanated children and systemically build continuous hurdles for non-white folx to overcome for just a thin slice of the “American Dream”.

64 years.

55 years.

If those years were the ages of white citizens neither one of these people would qualify for full social security benefits in the United States.

Just a little perspective for the next time you or someone you know says something about racism, slavery, and systemic oppression needing to be things that Black folx “let go of” or “get over”.