On Monday, news broke that Jesse Williams will be making his directorial debut with a film that focuses on the aftermath of Emmett Till’s murder.
To promote the upcoming film, Williams posted a series of memes. Some of the meme’s included photos of Till’s mother, Mamie Till in distraught over her son’s murder. In the format of the recent Colin Kaepernick Nike ads, the words “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything,” were written over the photos letting fans know that the film “Till,” was coming soon.
However, Williams received backlash from posting the memes, and he removed them from his social media. Following the backlash, Williams released an apology and said, “I would absolutely never make light of the tremendous tragedy that foisted Mamie Till Mobley into her life of activism and could never pretend her child being brutally tortured and executed was her “sacrifice.” That doesn’t even kinda make sense, never mind being absurd and ahistorical.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoKhfgUhxQj/?hl=en&taken-by=ijessewilliams
The only remaining meme left on Williams’ profile is of Till’s uncle pointing out his murderer’s in a courtroom.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoHel61hIjB/?hl=en&taken-by=ijessewilliams
Williams will produce the film alongside Whoopi Goldberg, who will also star in the film.
According to Deadline, “Till” will focus on “Mamie Mobley Till’s journey for justice following the brutal murder of her fourteen-year-old son in the heart of the Mississippi Delta in 1955.”
Production for the film is scheduled to start in the Summer of 2019, with support from the Till family.
