Emmett Till Alerts will notify African American leaders of racist incidents and hate crimes

GAMBRILLS, Md. -- A new alert system launched in Maryland was created to highlight racist incidents and acts of hate.

The Emmett Till Alert, named in honor of the 14-year-old boy whose lynching in August 1955 in Mississippi became one of the most notorious examples of racial violence in American history, is modeled after an Amber Alert.

The warning system will notify African American leaders in Maryland of any credible racist incident or hate crime that happens across the state.

To start, Emmett Till Alerts will be sent to 167 black elected officials statewide, national civil rights organizations, clergy members and other leaders, according to Carl Snowden with the Caucus of African American Leaders.

"When the FBI director said often that the greatest domestic terrorism threat is white supremacists, we should take that very, very seriously," said Snowden.

There will be three alert levels: low, medium and high. The top threat meaning there's a great likelihood of violence or death, according to Snowden.

Monday's announcement comes on the heels of summer incidents at Kingdom Celebration Center in Anne Arundel County, including racist graffiti found on the church doors.

"The Emmett Till Alert system is a step in the right direction for our community to govern itself and to heal itself," said Apostle Antonio Palmer. "We've come to the conclusion that Anne Arundel County is in no way exempt from this country's tolerance of hate crimes against the African American community."

Other recent incidents include bomb threats targeting Historically Black Colleges and University in the state.

The first alert was sent to users Monday notifying them that the system was up and running.

African American leaders hope Maryland's model will be an inspiration to others.

"This is a model system for all of America," said Daryl Jones with the Transformative Justice Coalition.

The system is privately funded through donations and will cost about $6,000 to run a year, according to Snowden.