The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till is a groundbreaking documentary that led to the reopening of the historic murder case nearly 50 years later, in 2004. Nine years in the making, the film uncovers the truth behind the night of the 1955 murder of Emmett Louis Till, a 14 - year old Black Chicago youth who went to the Mississippi Delta to visit relatives.
Told by Till's mother Mamie Till Mobley and never before seen testimonies by eyewitnesses, Till was murdered for whistling at a white woman in public. He was tortured and beaten beyond recognition, then thrown into the Tallahatchie River. Although Till suffered and horrific death, he did not die in vain, the murder became the catalyst that sparked the American Civil Rights Movement.
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Film will be followed by a Panel Discussion, meet the panelists below! |
Moderator
Patricia Virella
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Patricia M. Virella is a Graduate Faculty of Education at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. Virella also works as an Adjunct Faculty and Graduate Assistant for the University of Connecticut’s Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP).
Patricia Virella’s research focuses on school leadership during crisis, and education reform policy in marginalized communities. Her most recent research work includes a dissertation about education reform policy in Puerto Rico. Virella is also passionate about crisis response in regards to education, studying principal’s responses to COVID-19, and providing consulting for school leaders looking to turnaround their schools.
Virella has a broad range of experiences as a teacher and leader at various levels of education. She began her professional career as a teacher of second grade General Education at Mott Haven Academy Charter School. She later expanded her impact on educational institutions in New York, holding two Director of Curriculum positions and later serving as a Principal. Patricia Virella is an author of numerous articles and book chapters, most recently co-authoring a chapter about education reform policy in Puerto Rico.
Patricia Virella currently attends the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT. as a Ph.D Student for Educational Learning, Leadership and Policy. She holds two master degrees: a Master of Science in Educational Leadership from Bank Street College and a Master of Science in Early Childhood and Childhood Education from Sarah Lawrence College. Virella earned a Bachelor of Science from Adelphi University.
Virella grew up in Manhattan, New York. She has two children and a dog named Winnie.
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Keith Beauchamp
Director of The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till
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Award-Winning Filmmaker Keith A. Beauchamp attended Southern University in Baton Rouge where he studied Criminal Justice with the intention of becoming a Civil Rights Attorney. As a young boy in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Beauchamp had his share of run- ins with racism but it wasn’t until an incident where he was assaulted by an undercover police officer after dancing with a white classmate at a party that he felt compelled to fight racism and move to New York. It was here he could pursue a dream in becoming filmmaker. And through this feat, he’d attempt to remedy some of the past and present injustices that plague communities abroad.
Keith Beauchamp has been featured on '60 Minutes', ABC World News Tonight 'Person of the Week,' Court TV, MSNBC, 'Good Morning America,' CNN, BBC as well as in hundreds of publications around the world including The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Associated Press and the Chicago Sun Times. Beauchamp’s past works included, TV One’s 'Murder in Black and White' hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton and 'Wanted Justice: Johnnie Mae Chappell’ for the History Channel and ‘BET’s Exceptional Black Women.’
Beauchamp is the former Executive Producer and Host of Investigation Discovery’s Award-winning crime reality series, 'The Injustice Files,’ and currently the producer of the upcoming feature film “Till,” which is being co-produced by Fred Zollo, Whoopi Goldberg and Barbara Broccoli. He is also a frequent lecturer at colleges and universities around the country.
He has devoted the past twenty-two years of his life to telling the story of Emmett Till. Read more about his inspiration and work here.
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Pablo Correa, Ph.D.
USJ Assistant Professor, Digital Media and Communication
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Dr. Pablo Correa is from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and hopes to teach and inspire others through documentary film. Correa is the Program Director and Assistant Professor of the Digital Media and Communication program at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut. Correa specializes in digital media and documentary film with a special focus on the interests of minorities, especially Blacks and Hispanics in America. His work highlights racial relations, stories of tension, as well as stories of perseverance and success.
Correa is currently working on the Fannie Lou Hamer’s America team as assistant videographer for the film, web designer, and co-instructor for the Young Filmmaker’s Workshop which instructs and empowers Mississippi delta high school students to tell their own stories through digital media.
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Bronze Award Recipient 2015
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Sen. Gary Winfield, CT 10th District
Chief Deputy Majority Leader
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Originally sworn in on February 28, 2014, Gary Winfield is serving his fifth term as a Connecticut State Senator.
Prior to his time in the state senate, Senator Winfield served an unprecedented three terms in the Connecticut House of Representatives, marked by passage of the state’s repeal of the death penalty, a transgender civil rights bill, education equity and campaign finance reform legislation.
As a state senator, Senator Winfield has been an instrumental leader in helping to reshape conversations surrounding criminal justice, juvenile justice and immigration policy.
Originally from the Bronx, Senator Winfield credits his experience of growing up in a tough environment, his father succumbing to drugs and watching his mother struggle as a single mother, as the source of his passion for social justice. He graduated from Southern Connecticut State University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in political science.
The senator currently resides in New Haven with his wife Rasheda and their four children, Heaven, Keyari, Gary and Imani.
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Check out the film trailer below:
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The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till
Thursday, April 22, 2021
7:00pm
Virtual Event
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We are working hard to keep our virtual events free but there are associated costs to make them happen. A generous donation of any amount helps the Carol Autorino Center for the Arts continue delivering our patrons high quality digital content during this time. |
Thank you to our Let's Dance 2021 Season sponsors
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