Speakers tell Lordstown crowd of racist murder of cousin Emmitt Till in 1950s Mississippi

COLUMBIANA

Harboring hatred only hurts the hater.

That is a main theme Wheeler Parker and his uncle, Simeon Wright, 72, try to leave with audiences they address across the country.

The concept carries perhaps added meaning and importance for the two Chicago men, given the trauma they had endured nearly 60 years ago – and their ability to forgive and heal.

“We had no protection in Mississippi. Even the prosecutor got death threats,” the 76-year-old Parker recalled, referring to the Aug. 28, 1955, kidnapping and killing of their 14-year-old cousin, Emmett Till, in Money, Miss., and the acquittal of the two men who were charged in the crimes.

Read more of their account in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.