[The prevailing belief of the circumstances surrounding
14-year-old Emmett Till’s killing is that he was accused of
whistling at a white woman. Yet, the truth is he was lynched as an act
of voter intimidation.] [[link removed]]

THIS MLK DAY, REMEMBER EMMETT TILL AND VOTER SUPPRESSION  
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Jhacova Williams
January 16, 2020
Economic Policy Institute
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_ The prevailing belief of the circumstances surrounding 14-year-old
Emmett Till’s killing is that he was accused of whistling at a white
woman. Yet, the truth is he was lynched as an act of voter
intimidation. _

Emmett Till Christmas Day 1954, Mamie Elizabeth Till-Mobley

 

_“We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of
the unspeakable horrors of police brutality…We cannot be satisfied
as long as the Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and the Negro in New
York believes he has nothing for which to vote.” —Martin Luther
King Jr._

Two historic events occurred in American history in different years on
August 28. In 1955, Emmett Till was lynched in Mississippi—and in
1963, Martin Luther King Jr. addressed the nation from Washington,
D.C., with his “
[[link removed]]I Have
a Dream” speech
[[link removed]].
While both events have been ingrained in many Americans’ memories,
few are aware that they share a common link between brutality and
voter suppression.

The prevailing belief of the circumstances surrounding 14-year-old
Emmett Till’s killing is that he was accused of whistling at a white
woman. Yet, the truth is he was lynched as an act of voter
intimidation. After being acquitted by an all-white jury, one of
Emmett Till’s killers confessed
[[link removed]] to
the lynching and gave voting as the _first_ reason he killed Emmett.

“But I just decided it was time a few people got put on notice. As
long as I live and can do anything about it, [racial slur] are gonna
stay in their place. [Racial slur] ain’t gonna vote where I live. If
they did, they’d control the government.”—J.W. “Big Milam”

Although Emmett Till was brutally lynched 65 years ago, historical
events like his killing continue to suppress the political
participation of black Americans. Using data on historical lynchings
[[link removed]] and
present-day voter registration of blacks in southern states, FIGURE
A shows that blacks who live in counties that experienced more
lynchings in the past are less likely to register to vote today.

This negative relationship accounts for factors such as education,
earnings, and incarceration rates. Considering that nearly 90% of the
victims of historical lynchings were black, and lynchings discouraged
a variety of behaviors among blacks, the relationship seen in Figure A
suggests that past events of terror continue to plague the political
participation of blacks. FIGURE B further confirms that these events
do not plague other groups of Americans, since historical lynchings
are not related to the political participation of whites.

Despite these past acts of terror, which have historically suppressed
black voting, in recent years black Americans have increased
[[link removed]] their
voting rates. It is worth pondering:

* How high would blacks’ political participation be if it weren’t
for past acts of brutality and terror?
* How many black politicians
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have been elected to fight for better schooling, equal pay,
reparations, and racial justice?
* How often would blacks be pivotal in election results—like black
women helping elect policymakers
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fight for what’s right?

This MLK Day in 2020, let’s find ways to increase our political
participation. Let’s also hold our candidates and policymakers
accountable by giving us something to vote for. Part of increasing
political participation means identifying areas where lynchings have
continued to depress black political participation, and supporting
politicians that fight for racial justice.

JHACOVA WILLIAMS is an economist for EPI’s Program on Race,
Ethnicity, and the Economy (PREE). In this capacity, she explores the
role of structural racism in shaping racial economic disparities in
labor markets, housing, criminal justice, higher education, and other
areas that have a direct impact on economic outcomes. Williams’
research has focused on Southern culture and the extent to which
historical events have impacted the political behavior and economic
outcomes of Southern blacks. Prior to joining EPI, Williams served as
an assistant professor at Clemson University and worked as a
mathematics lab director and instructor at Xavier University of
Louisiana.

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