Woman who falsely accused Emmett Till of assault dies at 87

Carolyn Bryant Donham, the woman who falsely accused Emmett Till of sexual assault, has died at 87, reigniting conversations about systemic racism.

(c) LA TIMES

The woman whose false accusations led to the murder of Emmett Till, Carolyn Bryant Donham, has passed away at the age of 87.

Till, a 14-year-old Black boy, was lynched in Mississippi in 1955 after Donham accused him of making sexual advances towards her. Her accusations were later proven to be untrue.

Till’s death became a rallying cry for the civil rights movement, as his mother’s courageous decision to have an open-casket funeral for her son exposed the world to the viciousness of racism in America.

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In recent years, Donham’s role in Till’s death has come to light again, after she admitted to lying in her testimony during Till’s trial.

Donham’s death has sparked new discussions about the long-lasting legacy of racism in America, and the ongoing struggle for racial justice.

While her passing may bring some sense of closure for Till’s family, it also serves as a stark reminder of the deep-seated systemic racism that still plagues the nation today.