Till change comes
02-01-2023
The Center for Reparatory Justice, Transformation and Remediation created the study guide for “Till,” a movie meant to help a nation face its history while imagining a future that provides justice and dignity for all.
Rev. Dr. Iva Carruthers will be the keynote speaker at one of The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) Black History Month 2023 campus events, “Reparations: What’s It All About? on Thursday, February 9, from 5:30-7:30pm CST.
“Every generation is marked by significant events,” begins Rev. Dr. Iva Carruthers, “and for my generation one such event was the murder of Emmett Till.” Dr. Carruthers was 10 years old when Till, a young Black teen, went to visit relatives in Mississippi and returned home to Chicago in a casket. News of Till’s abduction, torture, and drowning and photos of his mutilated body shocked the nation, but silenced Dr. Carruthers, causing her to fear leaving her home for several days.
Since that 1955 tragedy, however, rarely has Dr. Carruthers, executive director of the Center for Reparatory Justice, Transformation and Remediation, CRJTR, been silent about the need for racial and social justice in our nation and around the world.
To shine light on this consequential moment in our national history, CRJTR created a study guide for “Till” that faith communities, schools, colleges, and other organizations can use to discuss the short life of a young man, the courage of a grieving mother, and the ongoing need for truth telling within our nation and world.
“Part of the motivation for providing this resource was to disrupt conversations where people feel that they must choose between movies like “Till,” that deal with the truth of our past, and movies like the “Black Panther,” that invite us to use our imaginations to create new realities about what can be,” says Dr. Carruthers. “Those are complementary stories because if you don’t know your past, you can’t create your future.”
Antonia Coleman, M.Div.’21, CRJTR program coordinator, along with Herbert Allen, associate professor emeritus, Columbia College, Chicago, were co-authors of the study guide, that not only covers the story of Till, but also provides a timeline of many untold stories in our nation’s history.
“The guide can open us up to transgenerational discussions,” says Coleman, “allowing us to capture the sacred memories of our families, communities, and world. Without the availability and use of these kinds of resources, the truth becomes whitewashed over.”
“Reparations can never be reduced to a financial transaction,” emphasizes Dr. Carruthers. “Part of its work is creating models of praxis for reparatory justice by providing more complete narratives… stories that empower us to work for change by telling the truth.”
Rev. Dr. Iva Carruthers, Executive Director of the Center for Reparatory Justice, Transformation and Remediation
Till: A Discussion Study Guide