New Chicago Photography Exhibit Imagines Life Emmett Till Might Have Lived

Historian Sarah Elizabeth Lewis curated a new photography exhibition called “If Emmett Till Lived: Freedom on American Ground,” which will debut on September 10 at the Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago. She collaborated with Reverend Wheeler Parker Jr., Till’s last living relative who saw him alive, to create both the show and a companion book that imagine the life Till might have led. The exhibit draws on the museum’s collection to prompt visitors to consider how American society might have changed had Till survived his 1955 lynching.

Its launch coincides with heightened political scrutiny of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and efforts to reshape how the nation’s racial past is taught. The project seeks to use visual art to engage the public’s moral imagination about freedom and justice.