Emmett Till Project & Emmett Till Project 60 Archive
Reviewed by: Max Brawer and Xavier McCormick
Review date: March 19, 2025
Site Link: Emmett Till Project; Emmett Till Project 60 Archive
Archive Link: https://archive.ph/jmWID
Keywords: Activism and Advocacy, History, Cultural Studies, Political Science, Biography and Prosopography, African American Studies, Black Studies, Race in America, Civil Rights, Lynching, Extrajudical Violence
Data Sources:
- Written works including essays, poems, and creative nonfiction
- Podcasts
- Primary source documents
- Public programs
- Video works
Processes:
- Categorization: the works are tagged based on their type of media
- Curation: work is selected for inclusion, organized by author name, presented with standardized formats, made available for download
- Labeling: added brief bios of the authors for each item
- Stylization: a brand identity is applied
Presentation:
The project is, in its own words, a “digital platform commemorating the legacy of Emmett Louis Till.” The Emmett Till Project is a curated webpage of writings, podcasts, and other multimedia works on the topic of the lynching of Emmett Till; the Emmett Till Project 60 Archive features historic materials connected with the case. Users can select which general media type they wish to navigate toward or can scroll through a tiled presentation of specific media categorized by type. The curators have also included photographs and additional supporting text to scaffold the project and explain the core history of the project and subject. Works can be browsed in their hosted format or downloaded as PDFs.
Digital Tools Used:
- Squarespace, Squarespace Commerce (website tools)
- Stimulus (JavaScript framework)
- OpenGraph
- Google Workspace (email)
Languages:
- English
Review
The Emmett Till Project (ETP) began in 2013 when a Florida State University student, Jessica Primani, discovered articles and photographs covering the Emmett Till trial that had been missing from the African-American newspaper, The St. Louis Argus. This discovery led to a collaboration between the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the launch of ETP in 2015.
The project is organized into four main components. The Writings section features essays and reflections that contextualize Till’s murder within the broader struggle for racial justice. The Podcasts provide in-depth discussions with historians, activists, and scholars, offering insight into the historical impact of the case and its lasting relevance today. The Archives section houses a selection of primary documents, including newspaper clippings, court records, and photographs, giving users direct access to historical materials. Lastly, the Conversations section presents interviews and discussions with experts and community members, further enriching the narrative with personal and scholarly perspectives.
While the project provides valuable content, its organization could be improved to make navigation more intuitive. The structure of the site can feel fragmented, and a more interactive layout or clear thematic tagging could improve navigation. Additionally, expanding the archive to include a wider range of digitized primary sources would further strengthen its role as a research tool.
Overall, the Emmett Till Project effectively preserves and presents Till’s story through a combination of historical research, public dialogue, and digital storytelling. By refining its site structure and incorporating more interactive elements, the project could further its mission of educating audiences about this critical moment in American history.
How are the collaborative aspects reflected in the project and are there elements that work particularly well?
At first, the project presents itself as one that could have been created without much collaboration. The core team (three individuals) may have collected the works, reposted them, curated them, and so on without additional support in theory. When looking more closely, the citations tell a story that the archivists had to find support in the entities that own the content. (For example: “Reprinted with permission of Johns Hopkins University Press and The Estate of Wanda Coleman.”) These citations indicate institutional and individual support from content owners and creators who invest their time and volunteer their resources to be republished. They also beg the question, were any materials not included because of lack of collaboration?
While the project is a collaboration with the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the site notes that “ETP continues to be curated independently as an aggregate for unpacking this historical case and highlighting its connection with contemporary inequalities concerning the racial criminalization of Black youth in America.” Schomburg is one of the New York Public Library’s top research libraries, and it is a great ally to have in the pursuit of publishing selected works. It may work particularly well to discover some of these works, as the librarians and their technology are likely an influence on the works selected.
Do you see an opportunity for collaboration that would be helpful to the project?
One potential opportunity for collaboration could be expanding the digital archival resources by partnering with additional historical institutions, universities, or independent researchers who have access to underrepresented or undiscovered materials related to Emmett Till’s case and its broader historical context. For example, collaborating with historical Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), civil rights organizations, and local archives could uncover additional firsthand accounts, legal documents, and community narratives that have yet to be digitized or included in the project.
Working with digital humanities scholars or developers could help improve the site’s navigability and interactivity—perhaps integrating searchable metadata, better tagging systems, or visualization tools to allow users to explore connections between different historical documents, essays, and oral histories.
A more direct collaboration with educational institutions and curriculum developers could increase engagement by making the archive more accessible to classrooms. This could involve lesson plans, guided research activities, or partnerships with history teachers to ensure the materials are widely used in educational settings.
By expanding its network of contributors and refining its digital tools, the Emmett Till Project could further amplify its impact as a research and storytelling resource.