South Phoenix honors Emmett Till with church mural

Earlier last month, a new mural adorned the west wall of the Greater Bethel AME Church in South Phoenix. The mural honors Emmett Till, a 14-year-old boy from Chicago whose life and death helped spark the Civil Rights Movement. In 1955, Till was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered in Mississippi after being accused of whistling at a white woman. His mother’s decision to hold an open-casket funeral exposed the brutality of racial violence in America.

Children from the congregation also lined up to press their painted handprints beside a peace sign on the edge of the mural, leaving their own mark of unity and hope.

Maggie Keane, the freelance artist behind the mural, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss her work.

The process was started by The Shining Light Foundation, an organization that provides resources and support to help marginalized communities grow and succeed.

“Emmett Till was going to be painted eventually,” Keane said. “…you know you can’t leave Emmitt Till out.”

Keane discussed her process, the research that was conducted, and how she wanted to include court documents.

“She sent the design to some family members of Emmett Till, and they said, ‘ This is great,” Keane explained, “…so it kind of works like that.”

According to Keane, she wanted to include information that better reflected who Emmett Till was, as she highlighted his love for baseball. She also touched on how much he loved to help others, as he would always help his grandmother with her groceries.

“What makes a project difficult is height,” Keane said, “… if you need to bring in scaffolding, or a lift…that’ll make it difficult. If it’s in a place where it’s cold or here in Phoenix, don’t work too much in the summertime…so you have to really change your schedule around.”