Vice President Kamala Harris attended the signing ceremony establishing the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monuments on Tuesday in Washington, D.C. For the event, also attended by President Joe Biden and the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr., she brought her signature power dressing style in a classic black tailored suit with an off-white silk pussy-bow blouse. She accessorized her outfit with an American flag pin.
Biden’s signing of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Proclamation is a historical moment for the civil rights movement. Till was a 14-year-old boy who was accused of offending a white woman, Carolyn Bryant, in the ’50s in Mississippi, resulting in him being kidnapped, tortured and lynched in what is still discussed as one of the most heinous racist hate crimes in American history. His mother, Till-Mobley, committed her life to fighting for justice for her son and advancing civil rights in the U.S. Bryant would later admit to lying about Till offending her.
Biden’s proclamation will establish three national monuments dedicated to Till and Till-Mobley, including one in Chicago and other two in Sumner and Glendora, Mississippi. The signing ceremony for the proclamation took place one day after what would’ve been Till’s 82nd birthday.
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“At a time when there are those who seek to ban books, bury history, we’re making it clear — crystal, crystal clear: While darkness and denialism can hide much, they erase nothing,” Biden said at the White House signing ceremony. “Only with truth comes healing, justice, repair and another step forward toward forming a more perfect union. We’ve got a hell of a long way to go.”
Harris has been vocal about civil rights matters during her time as vice president. In June at the Essence Festival of Culture, she criticized the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down affirmative action.