Carolyn Bryant Dohnam, 88, had been suffering from cancer for a long time. The Calcasieu parish coroner’s office told CNN that she died at her home in Westflake, Louisiana. A woman has never faced consequences after falsely accusing a 14-year-old black boy in 1955, leading to the horrific lynching of a child at the hands of her husband and brother-in-law.
The woman died on April 27 this year. A day later, Malik Shabazz of Blck Lawyers for Justice released a statement regarding her death. You could read in it that the 88-year-old left a legacy “dishonesty and injustice”.
The death of Carolyn Bryant ends a painful chapter for Emmett Till’s family and for black people in America. The tragic part of Bryant’s death was that she was never held accountable for her role in the death of young Emmett Till
– it was written.
They kidnapped a 14-year-old boy, brutally beat him and gouged out his eye
Emmet Till was from Chicago. The boy attended a school that was racially segregated. In August 1955, he and his family went on vacation to Mississippi. It was established that one day in the store he was provoked by colleagues and the 14-year-old accosted Carolyn Bryant, who was working as a saleswoman at the time. He was supposed to say “Bye, baby” to her and whistle.
A few days later, Carolyn Dohnam’s husband, Roy Bryant, and her brother-in-law, JW Milam, kidnapped the boy straight from his great-aunt’s house. The 14-year-old was dragged out of bed by them. The men abused the child, brutally beat him, leading to a complete disfigurement of his face. They also gouged out the boy’s eye.
“Let the world see what they did to my boy”
Then, they took the battered 14-year-old to the river and shot him in the head.
The death of the child caused huge opposition in society, demanding justice. More than 50,000 people attended the funeral of the 14-year-old. The child’s mother, Mamie Bradley, opened the coffin during the funeral ceremony – to show the scale of cruelty that was inflicted on her child.
Let the world see what they did to my boy
she said then.
More scandalous events followed, this time in court. The 100 percent white jury acquitted the murderers. In the courtroom, Carolyn Bryant Dohnam said the child tried to flirt with her and even threaten her. It wasn’t until 62 years later that she confessed the truth: she had made the whole story up.
Literally a year later – in an interview with “Look” magazine in 1956 – both torturers admitted their guilt. They described in detail how they kidnapped and murdered the boy. For this confession, they received $4,000 (today it’s about $43,000).
Sources: TMZ/CNN/Mississippi Free Press
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
