Argo Community High School to unveil statue honoring Mamie Till-Mobley
SUMMIT, Ill. (CBS) – A southwest suburban high school will soon unveil a statue honoring Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till.
The 14-year-old boy was murdered in Mississippi in 1955. His mother insisted her son's casket be open for all to see what happened to him. She also became instrumental in the fight for civil rights.
An artist created the sculpture in clay and CBS 2's Shardaa Gray was there when it was dropped off at Argo Community High School.
Artist Sonja Henderson could hardly contain herself.
"Oh my god!" she said.
She's getting a first look at her Mamie Till-Mobley statue that was sent to Michigan to be cast in bronze. Using clay, she created it with her own hands.
"Look at her," Henderson said. "She's so beautiful."
But we can't show it entirely to you just yet, because it will be unveiled Saturday in front of Argo Community High School, which is Till-Mobley's alma mater. But we can show you a few details and the meaning behind it.
"You're actually seeing the barn scene through the cotton," Henderson said. "And that's also to shield the audience the passersby because this is a very traumatic scene to see the barn where Emmett Till was lynched."
Henderson is a painter, sculptor, teacher and mosaic muralist. She started sculpting the 850-pound Till-Mobley statue in 2021, using hundreds of pounds of clay.
"You begin sculpting in clay," she said. "The podium is actually a vintage podium from Argo Community High School. So it's the podium that Mamie Till might have actually stood and read a report at."
Last year, the southwest suburban school broke ground for the landscaped plaza. Now you'll find the covered-up statue and three significant plaques, including one about Robert Temple Church of God in Christ, where Emmett's funeral was held.
"How fitting that the walkway and plaza that we're dedicating to her is the main walkway up the building where our students enter and exit every day," said William Toulios, superintendent of Argo Community High School. "So it's an extension of the classroom."
The Mamie-Till Mobley and Emmet Till Memorial Walkway Plaza could one day become a national park.
The high school will unveil the statue this Saturday. They're also establishing the Mamie Till-Mobley Scholarship Fund to support graduates who demonstrate social justice and give back to their communities.