For All the World to See

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“...we had averted our eyes for far too long, turning away from the ugly reality facing us as a nation. Let the world see what I’ve seen.” - Mamie Till Bradley, mother of Emmett Till

Following the brutal murder of Emmett Till in September 1955, his mother distributed photographs of her mutilated son to newspapers and magazines, but the mainstream media rejected the images as too gruesome for publication. Bradley found support from African-American periodicals; she believed allowing the public to witness the brutality of segregation would push them toward support of civil rights.

The West Baton Rouge Museum welcomes the nationally-touring For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights, a compelling assortment of photographs, television clips, art posters, and historic artifacts that were influential in how Americans perceived race and inequality. The exhibition, from NEH on the Road, traces how images and media disseminated to the American public transformed the modern civil rights movement and jolted Americans, both black and white, out of a state of denial or complacency. westbatonrougemuseum.org.