‘Mama, I’m through’: The martyrdoms of Emmitt Till and George Floyd

On the anniversary of Emmitt Till’s murder on August 28, 1955, we reflect on the present day killing of George Floyd and the litany of Black Americans who have been crucified by racial injustice. In both, we witness how Floyd’s cry for his mama and Mamie Till Mobley’s public outcry at her son’s murder, turns private suffering into a public sin and catalyst for justice. 

This episode was adapted from an America Magazine article written by Abraham Nussbaum, which you can read at: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/08/06/emmett-till-george-floyd-black-deaths-racism

Thanks to Oregon Catholic Press for the use of John Becker’s “Litany of the Saints.” Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.