Emmett Till's cousin, Jim Crow architect's great-great-great-grandson inspire others with friendship
The two families' histories are worlds apart and filled with pain, but Sunday was about healing.
SUMMIT, Ill. (WLS) -- Emmett Till's cousin and the great-great-great-grandson of the Jim Crow laws architect hope to inspire others as they share their friendship.
It was reunion that some would not expect during Memorial Day weekend.
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"I can remember when Emmett was kidnapped and murdered. I was there when they took him," said Till's cousin, Argo Temple Church of God in Christ Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr.
Parker came together with Charles Sims, the great-great-great-grandson of James Z. George, a late U.S. senator from Mississippi.
"My great-great-great-grandfather authored the 1890 constitution, which he became the primary author of the Jim Crow law. So, for me, coming here, I think, it is long overdue," Sims said.
The two met in Washington, D.C. last year at the Smithsonian. Parker invited Sims to his church in Summit to worship and speak at his congregation, something that Sims took him up on.
The two families' histories are worlds apart and filled with pain, but Sunday was about healing.
"That's why I'm here, I think, to show the unity in the community, to show brotherhood, and to show that we can reach across party and racial lines," Sims said.
"Having Charles here and willing to stand up and come forth and acknowledge the wrongs, without any animosity or real hate, just to talk about history, shows how far we've come and how much work we still need to do," Parker said.
Their message on Sunday is meant to inspire hope that even through divisive times, love can win.
"Love is stronger than pain, that we all have the ability to sit down to show love and bring that unity back to the community, even if it took 80 years or 150 years," Sims said.
