'Women of the Movement' creator on how Mamie Till-Mobley woke up the world
Marissa Jo Cerar talks about staying firm with the decision to tell the Emmett Till story from his mother's perspective
LOS ANGELES -- Storytelling has formed a path to shine a light on historical people, places and history-shaping events that are not taught in schools like Mamie Till-Mobley in the first season of ABC's "Women of the Movement." The six-episode series recounts the brutal murder of Mamie's son, Emmett Till, who was killed for allegedly whistling at a white woman in 1955.
Series creator Marissa Jo Cerar knew about Emmett's story but didn't know how Till-Mobley's brave decision to hold an open casket funeral for her son -- exposing his disfigured body -- would wake up the world. Cerar hopes this series can help to shed light on Black women behind the civil rights movement.
"There aren't a lot of Black women who are recognized as women who were part of the civil rights movement," Cerar said. "It's often women who were behind the scenes, or it's often, unfortunately, [that] she was a victim of a crime, and it was how she handled being a victim of decisions that she made."
Cerar continued, "There are so many stories of women who made massive contributions to the civil rights movement, but they just aren't as known. People just don't know. That's my goal because there are just so many women who unfortunately haven't got their flowers."
See Cerar's full interview with On The Red Carpet in the video player above.
"Women of the Movement" is available to stream on Hulu.
