|
Dear Friend of the National Parks,
NPCA invites you to join us on an intimate tour through some of the most significant sites related to the American civil rights movement. This immersive storytelling journey will provide you with an opportunity to:
- Visit and learn about NPCA’s role in establishing the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument
- Discover our current work to honor the lives of Emmet Till and Mamie Till-Mobley at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center and Sumner Court House
- Meet with multiple civil rights activists, such as Joanne Bland, who, at 11 years old in 1965, was the youngest person to have been jailed during any U.S. civil rights demonstration during that period
On the Road to Freedom: Understanding Civil Rights through our National Parks and Heritage areas
September 9-16, 2022
On your journey, you’ll be joined by Alan Spears, Senior Director of Cultural Resources, Government Affairs, who says, “the long road to freedom, citizenship, and humanity runs straight through all of the sites on this itinerary. I’m honored to make this journey with members of the NPCA family and to see some of the most significant and inspirational places on the North American landscape.”
Get an exclusive, first-hand look at what it takes to develop a new national historical park.
In a private program with NPCA experts and community partners, you’ll learn about the tireless push to establish the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Historical Park. Discover NPCA’s collaborative work with partners such as the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area, the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, members of the Till family and the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Institute to commemorate the life and legacy of Emmett Till and the larger civil rights stories throughout the Mississippi Delta. Alan Spears will also share his expert perspectives on the proposed park unit and his involvement with the Department of Interior staff and others in preserving Till’s story.
What will the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Historical Park protect?
The tragic death of Emmett Till and the strength and resolve of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, catalyzed the modern civil rights movement. The new park will protect their stories and ensure their lives and legacies will not be forgotten. The proposed multi-site park will have sites in both the Mississippi Delta, where 14-year-old Emmett was murdered, and in his hometown of Chicago, IL, where, after Emmett’s death, his mother Mamie became a pivotal voice in garnering national attention for the plight of Black Americans under Jim Crow laws.
Why is this new park so important?
Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley's stories are critical to the National Park System telling the full story of the modern civil rights movement. Establishing a park in their honor continues to pave the way for designating additional parks that honor the history of all Americans. Alan Spears explains, “we are always attempting to form a more perfect union, and we are always attempting at NPCA to form a more perfect park system that’s more representative and more inclusive.”
Click here to download the full trip brochure (1 MB).
To learn more and reserve your spot today, contact me at 202-454-3305 or by email at [email protected]. Thank you for your support.
See you in the parks,
Jared Dial
Associate Director, Educational Travel Program
Photos: Jessie Jaynes-Diming, who leads tours of the Mississippi Delta, at the barn where Till was brutally beaten © Rory Doyle; Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley, circa 1950 © Everett Collection Inc/Alamy; Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner, Mississippi, the site of Emmett Till’s murder trial. © Alan Spears/NPCA 
|
