"CHICAGO TONIGHT: BLACK VOICES".

TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

TOGETHER, WE CAN DRIVE CHANGE.

>>> THE WHITE WOMAN WHO ACCUSED BLACK CHICAGO TEENAGER EMMETT TILL OF MAKING INAPPROPRIATE ADVANCES LEADING TO A LYNCHING IN 1955 MISSISSIPPI HAS DIED AT THE AGE OF 88.

CAROLYN BRYANT HAD AN ACCUSATION THAT CAUSED HER HUSBAND TO KIDNAP AND KILL YOUNG TILL.

AN ALL-WHITE JURY DID NOT CONVICT THE MEN.

THERE WERE QUESTIONS ON IF BRILLIANT HERSELF WITH PHASE PROSECUTIONS FOR THE ACCUSATIONS THAT SOME FACE SHE LATER RECANTED.

JOINING US NOW IS TILL FAMILY ATTORNEY, CHRIS BENSON.

TILL'S COUSIN, AND LAST WITNESS TO HIS KILLING, CHRIS, WELCOME BACK.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU, THANK YOU.

>> SO, REVEREND PARKER, THE LAST WITNESS, AS WE SAID, RELEASED A STATEMENT AFTER THE DEATH WAS RECORDED.

IT READS IN PART, "OUR HEARTS GO OUT TO THE FAMILY OF CAROLYN BRIAN DUNHAM.

I RECOGNIZE THAT ANY LOSS OF LIFE IS TRAGIC AND DON'T HAVE ANY ILL WILL OR ANIMOSITY TOWARD HER.

EVEN THOUGH NO ONE NOW WILL BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE DEATH OF MY COUSIN AND BEST FRIEND, IT IS ALL OF US TO BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE CHALLENGES WE ALL FACE IN OVERCOMING THE RACIAL INJUSTICE."

CHRIS, EMMETT TILL'S STORY HAS BEEN PART OF YOUR LIFE'S WORK.

WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THIS?

>> WELL, WE EXPECTED THIS TO HAPPEN SOONER THAN LATER.

WE KNEW THAT SHE WAS NOT IN GOOD HEALTH AND IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF TIME.

WE WERE HOPEFUL THAT AT SOME POINT BEFORE SHE LEFT THAT SHE WOULD CONFESS, THAT SHE WOULD TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.

SADLY, THAT NEVER HAPPENED.

ON THE GOOD SIDE, THOUGH, REVEREND PARKER AND I PARTICIPATED IN A FOUR YEAR RIDE ALONG WITH THE FBI AND THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY IN THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF MISSISSIPPI TO CLOSE OUT THE INVESTIGATION.

AND OVER THOSE FOUR YEARS, WE WERE ABLE TO SEE A LOT OF DOCUMENTATION THAT STILL HASN'T BEEN RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC.

BUT, WE WERE ABLE TO CONNECT THE DOTS TO SHOW HER RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS HORRIBLE LYNCHING OF EMMETT TILL.

AND TO SEE HOW HER STORY HAD GROWN IN ORDER TO COVER UP HER INVOLVEMENT IN THAT AFFAIR.

>> AND CONSIDERING ALL OF THAT RESEARCH AND INVESTIGATION, AND ALL THAT YOU AND THE FAMILY KNOW ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, DOES THIS DO ANYTHING TO CLOSE THE CHAPTER FOR THE TILL FAMILY?

>> WELL, YOU READ THE STATEMENT OF REVEREND PARKER, THIS IS A DEEPLY RELIGIOUS FAMILY, AND HE AND OF COURSE, EMMETT'S MOM, WOULD SAY SO OFTEN, HEAT DESTROYS THE HATER.

SO, THEY DIDN'T WANT TO HOLD ONTO THAT.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THEY WANTED TO SEE SOME ACCOUNTABILITY IN THIS CASE.

NOW, THE ACCOUNTABILITY WILL COME IN THE WAY WE CONTINUE TO TELL THE STORY.

CAROLYN BRIAN DUNHAM DIDN'T TELL IT.

WE KNOW WHAT IT ALL MEANS AND WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO TELL THE STORY.

SO, THERE IS SOME MEASURE IN JUSTICE IN THAT, REACHING THE TRUTH.

AS JOURNALISTS, WE ARE ALL ABOUT THE TRUTH.

WE WANT TO TELL THE STORY.

>> LAST YEAR, THERE WERE ATTEMPTS TO SEE HER ARRESTED AND CHARGED.

LAST WEEK, A MISSISSIPPI SHERIFF SAID THAT THE ARREST WARRANT WAS NOW MOVED.

HOW MUCH BLAME TO YOU ASSIGNED TO HER?

IT SEEMS LIKE IN THE INVESTIGATION YOU HAVE BEEN A PART OF, QUITE A BIT.

BECAUSE IT SEEMS DOESN'T SHE HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE THAT HER HUSBAND WOULD REACT THE WAY HE DID WHEN SHE IDENTIFIED HIM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?

>> YEAH, AND WE SEE THAT IN THE DOCUMENTS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO REVIEW, INCLUDING THE MANUSCRIPTS THAT SHE WANTED TO PUBLISH IN HER BOOK.

TO WHICH SHE SAYS THAT SHE FEELS LIKE SHE IS AS MUCH OF A VICTIM AS EMMETT TILL.

BUT, WE WERE ABLE TO THREAD A LOT OF THESE ELEMENTS TOGETHER TO SEE THAT SHE KNEW WHAT HER HUSBAND WAS CAPABLE OF.

SO, THERE WAS SOME AMOUNT OF CULPABILITY IN THAT.

THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER.

REGRETTABLY, THOUGH, THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

AND I THINK THE THING THAT WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD AND UNDERSTAND IS THAT WHILE WE MAY WANT TO LOOK AT THE PERPETRATORS, IN TELLING THE STORY, WE ALSO HAVE TO LOOK AT THE POWER STRUCTURE THAT MADE ALL THIS POSSIBLE.

FIRST, THAT WHITE PEOPLE IN 1955 BELIEVED THAT THEY COULD GET AWAY WITH MURDERING A BLACK PERSON.

AND TWO, EVERYTHING THAT WAS DONE BY THAT POWER STRUCTURE TO COVER THIS WHOLE THING UP.

A LOT OF THESE STORIES HAVE CARRIED FORWARD, OUR STORIES THAT THEY DISTORTED IN WAYS THAT I THINK TAKE US AWAY FROM THIS REALIZATION OF NOT ONLY THE FACTS, BUT THE MEANING OF THOSE FACTS.

THAT IS SOMETHING WE ARE CORRECTING NOW THROUGH THESE BOOKS WITH REVEREND PARKER.

>> ARE THERE UNRESOLVED QUESTIONS THAT THIS DEATH WILL LEAVE UNRESOLVED QUACKS AND ALSO, WHAT MORE MIGHT WE LEARN?

THERE ARE A LOT OF DOCUMENTS THAT STILL HAVE NOT BEEN RELEASED.

>> WELL, WE SAW THEM.

WE WERE ABLE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME ANALYZING THE DOCUMENTS, AND WE WRITE ABOUT THAT IN THE BOOK AND DRAW CONCLUSIONS FROM THAT.

SO, WITH RESPECT TO THE FACTS OF THE CASE, WITH RESPECT TO THE MEANING OF THOSE FACTS, THERE IS NOTHING NEW THAT WAS EMERGED AFTER THE BOOK THAT WE HAVE DONE.

WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE LOOKING AT IS THIS POWER STRUCTURE THAT IS ON A PARALLEL, WE BELIEVE, WITH 1955.

AND THAT IS WHAT WE WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND FROM EMMETT TILL'S STORY.

EMMETT TILL IS THE STORY OF A HORRIBLE CRIME COMMITTED AGAINST THIS GIFTED KID, BUT IT IS MORE THAN THAT.

IT IS A STORY ABOUT HOW PEOPLE IN THE SOUTH WERE CONCERNED AND AFRAID OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING AT THAT MOMENT.

THEY WERE LOOKING AT WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED WITH BROWN VERSUS BOARD OF EDUCATION, AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF RACIAL RELATIONS.

RIGHT NOW, WE ARE ON A PARALLEL WITH WHAT WAS HAPPENING BACK THEN, AND PEOPLE LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN, THAT IS A TRANSFORMATION OF THIS COUNTRY WITH RESPECT TO DEMOGRAPHICS.

AND PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF LOSING POWER, THAT IS WHAT WE ARE SEEING NOW, THE PUSHBACK, THIS VIOLENT PUSHBACK AGAINST THAT CHANGE, JUST AS WE SAW IN 1955.

EMMETT TILL, AND THE STORY OF EMMETT TILL, HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND THE CHALLENGE WE ARE GIVEN RIGHT NOW, AND HOW WE CAN MOVE FORWARD.

>> CHRIS, WE HAVE ABOUT 30 SECONDS.

WHERE DOES THE TILL FAMILY GO FROM HERE, IN MAINTAINING THIS STORY AND THIS LEGACY?

>> WE HAVE INFORMED THE EMMETT TILL AND AMY TILL INSTITUTE THAT CONTINUES TO ADVANCE THE LEGACY OF AMY MOAKLEY, WHICH IS ALL ABOUT EDUCATION.

SO, TELLING THE CONTEXTUAL STORY IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE, HELPING YOUNG PEOPLE, YOUNG PEOPLE ESPECIALLY, TO GET INVOLVED, TO SEE THAT THEY HAVE A CIVIC DUTY, TO BE ENGAGED IN THIS DEMOCRATIC PROCESS.

WE DEVELOPED A NATIONAL CURRICULAR TO TEACH HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS NOT ONLY THE FACTS OF EMMETT TILL AND THE CASE, BUT ALSO WHAT IT MEANS FOR THEM, IN