Cousin of late Emmett Till to speak at SEMO

Wheeler Parker, author, activist and cousin of the late Emmett Till, will be on the Southeast Missouri State University campus in Cape Girardeau for two speaking events next week.

Parker will discuss the events surrounding Till's death from his eyewitness account, his involvement in the development and passing of the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act and his life's work toward multicultural democracy.

Parker will speak at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 12, and 5 p.m. Thursday, April 13. Both events are open to students and community members and will be held in the Dempster Hall auditorium.

Dana Branson, associate professor in the Criminal Justice, Social Work and Sociology department, called Parker a "living legend".

"He is the cousin of Emmett Till. He was present at the general store when the alleged 'whistle/flirting' did or didn't occur and was there when Till ended up being kidnapped," Branson said.

Branson recounted how Till was 14 when he became the victim of a hate crime. She said two white men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, abducted Till, making Parker one of the last people to see Till before his death. Till died after he was beaten and shot by the two men, although neither man was convicted of a crime.

Branson teaches in the Social Work Program at SEMO and said bringing Parker to campus is an important opportunity for her and her department.

"A big part of social work is being dedicated to social justice issues and representing marginalized groups," Branson said. "So this is something that goes along with our desire, the passion and the mission that we hope to install in our students."