Whoopi Goldberg will star in an upcoming film about Mamie Till-Mobley’s fight for justice in the murder of her son, Emmett Till.
Variety reported Goldberg will be joined by The Haves and the Have Nots actress Danielle Deadwyler. Deadwyler’s character is Till-Mobley, while Goldberg’s portrayal is Till’s grandmother, Alma Carthan.
“I am charged with humility and great will to embody her life at such an integral moment of personal tragedy and political rebellion, a boon to the civil rights movement, and to represent the joy in the love and life shared between Mamie Till-Mobley and her beloved Emmett Till,” Deadwyler said.
The film trails Till-Mobley’s story following the heinous 1955 murder of her son, who traveled from Chicago to visit family in Mississippi for the summer. Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam kidnapped Till from his family’s house and committed a gruesome crime by beating him, mutilating him, shooting him in the head and dumping his body in the Tallahatchie River.
This transpired after Bryant’s 21-year-old wife Carolyn Bryant claimed Till flirted with her in a local grocery store.
The movie examines Till-Mobley’s choice to permit Jet magazine to share David Jackson’s photos from the funeral, where she refused to have a closed casket service.
The graphic images influenced the Civil Rights Movement.
“We have waited a very long time to bring this historically necessary important film to people,” Goldberg said. “And as we watch the repression of American History when it comes to people of color it makes it even that more important.
Sources: TheJasmineBrand.com, Vibe.com, RollingStone.com, Complex.com, Deadline.com
