Peering down the road I saw nothing of significance. More barren trees huddling close to the perimeter. More telephone poles with faded white paint, loosely connected by wires sagging under the weight of history. Then I let my eyes focus once more on the shop where Emmett Till was identified as having supposedly flirted with a white woman.
The site of the buildup to the murder of a fourteen year old boy, whose unrecognizable face after death was displayed for all to bear witness, was allowed to decay with time. The walls crumbling, and the remaining outside portions of the structure overrun with vines. It made me uncomfortable to see the significant building that was surrendered to time, especially because I feel there have been less significant locations we have visited that have been preserved and renovated to ensure their original likeness was not lost. However Emmett Till is dead, regardless of the condition of that shop. His death sparked a will to rise up in the souls of many, and that fact would not have changed if the store had been in better state. Likewise the ability to pass on Emmett Till's legacy to future generations was not hindered by the dilapidation of one of his final known locations.
The monumental lessons we learn from heroes and martyrs of the past do not fade as physical reminders of their time on earth do. It is up to us to honor their memory, no matter the physical preservation of moments in their lives.
Pablo Richter, Baltimore City College
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