Screening Reiterates Need for Diverse Discussions

DeLaney Center Screens Till for Martin Luther King Week.

Though I have only been at Washington and Lee University for one term, the number of engaging speakers and events has never lacked. At first, I kept to the comfortable spaces of groups that I felt represented me, such as QuestBridge Scholars and Comunidad Latina Estudiantil. Last week, though, I stepped outside that sphere to attend several university events hosted in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

In attending these events, I’ve concluded that W&L would be a better place if people were willing to be uncomfortable.

I am a Hispanic woman and was born in Mexico. I cannot say I understand the unique experiences of oppression that black people have and still face. But I can say that this week has made me feel closer to the people I saw and talked to at these events, and that all students would feel closer to each other if they engaged more with these different perspectives.

I saw the same faces throughout the week, noting that many were faculty or community members. While this is not surprising, it did make me wonder if low attendance was a matter of scheduling conflicts or lack of student interest. 

The most notable event for me was the DeLaney Center’s screening of  Till (2022) in Stackhouse Theater on Thursday, January 18. Approximately 50 people attended the event and subsequent discussion panel. 

The movie told the horrific story of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old boy who was lynched while visiting family in Mississippi in 1955, and the unsuccessful efforts of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, to convict the two men responsible. 

Having left Chicago on his own during the summer of 1955, Till had only been staying with his cousins for a week when he was kidnapped from his uncle’s house in the middle of the night. Till was found three days later in the Tallahatchie River, dead and badly beaten.

His story is known thanks to his mother — Mamie Till-Mobley — who put her own life in danger to show the world the truth of her son’s death. She held an open-casket funeral for Till and published pictures of his body in Jet magazine.

Till-Mobley traveled to Mississippi to testify about her identification of Till’s body in the murder trial against brothers John William Milam and Roy Bryant, both of whom were acquitted.

During the after-movie discussion, several audience members stood to share their own memories of learning about Till. One person said they still have the copy of Jet magazine which featured the pictures of his mutilated body.

The audienced echoed the sentiment that Till’s death was particularly horrifying and reinforced a “stay in your place” mentality. There was a sad and heavy air in Stackhouse.

Till’s story is well-known, but its prevalence does not soften its gruesomeness. The somber atmosphere was uncomfortable, but it was also educational. 

One Lexington resident said watching the movie made her realize that “I’ve never had the luxury of not thinking about race.”

Hearing her statement, I froze. Although I can never fully understand the black experience, I can empathize with the struggle of being a minority. At that moment, I felt a connection with this complete stranger.

Feeling connected to this stranger, I knew everybody had a place in that theater — and I wished more people had attended the screening so that they might feel the same way. We may never be able to completely understand one another, but we can listen to and support each other. 

It is difficult to make room in our busy — often overloaded — schedules to attend non-mandatory university events. But I believe we need to stop looking at these events as completely optional.

After all, the Washington and Lee University mission statement calls for “engaged citizenship in a global and diverse society” from its graduates: to engage in a diverse society, we must purposefully put ourselves in diverse spaces and make a concentrated effort to step outside our familiarity. 

[The opinions expressed in this magazine are the author's own and do not reflect the official policy or position of The Spectator, or any students or other contributors associated with the magazine. It is the intention of The Spectator to promote student thought and civil discourse, and it is our hope to maintain that civility in all discussions.]