Beck Center Eighth of August celebration to highlight new film about Emmett Till

The Beck Cultural Exchange Center is remembering the story of Emmett Till as part of its annual Eighth of August Jubilee at the Tennessee Theatre.

Aug. 8, 1863, is when Tennessee African Americans were emancipated.

The event will feature a VIP red carpet celebration, a performance by Chris Blue, and the premiere of the film "Emmett Till: White Lies, Black Death" by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Loki Mulholland.

To date, Mulholland has premiered five of his documentaries with the Beck Center. His ties to history run deep. He's the son of notable civil rights icon Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, one of the Freedom Riders arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1961. His work has received numerous awards and national recognition, according to the Beck Center website.

Pulitzer Prize-nominated investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell. who is featured in the film, also will be a special guest as part of the evening's observance.

Mulholland told Knox News that many have been given an incomplete narrative of the death of Emmett Till, and the film includes details never revealed in the investigation into Till's 1955 murder.

"There is a broader story that goes along with this, which ties back to a deeper history of retribution. To debut this film in Knoxville as part of Tennessee's emancipation day brings people together, and at the same time sets us free by learning the truth," Mulholland said.

Find information about reserving tickets for the Beck Center Eighth of August Jubilee online at beckcenter.net. The VIP reception begins at 4 p.m., and the program starts at 5:30 p.m.

Emmett Till's story part of the continued fight for freedom

Renee Kesler, executive director of the Beck Cultural Exchange Center, told Knox News that this year's emancipation celebration is significant, and most important, it's timely.

"When we talk about emancipation it really is also about justice and equality and how we must get better. The Eighth of August started with the emancipation of 1863. But that's not where it ended," Kesler said.

Kesler told Knox News that the tragic story of Emmett Till's murder and his mother Mamie Till Mobley's fight for justice is part of the bigger picture of the history of emancipation. It is about the continued fight for freedom.

Despite Aug. 8 being the date in Tennessee when African-Americans were emancipated, freedom wasn't entirely achieved. During segregation, Aug. 8 was the only day African Americans were allowed in Chilhowee Park in Knoxville.

"When we talk about history down to legal segregation, to use that same date, and say that Black people can only go to Chilhowee Park here in Knoxville on one day a year, on the eighth of August, that's it. That's huge," Kesler said. "Because it's literally why we have to keep studying history, because if we don't, we repeat it.

"If you can go from 1863 to 1940 and use that same date of August 8th to hold us back from our freedom, what might happen in the future? We keep carrying the atrocities of history with us because we can't reconcile them.

"My hope, with all the events that the Beck does, is to teach real history and to teach the truth. When we know better we can do better. We all have a part to play in this history."

Why Tennessee has its own Emancipation date

"Historically we always celebrated the Eighth of August," William Isom, founder of Black in Appalachia told Knox News in June.

Andrew Johnson, military governor of Tennessee and the 17th U.S. president, released his own enslaved people (in 1863), prior to what America observes as Juneteenth.

As Union soldiers took control of areas, they would share the Emancipation Proclamation, so many states celebrate emancipation on different days.

The date of Aug. 8 became known as Emancipation Day in Tennessee. At least seven states and 55 communities celebrate the Eighth of August, including Kentucky and Missouri.

Angela Dennis is the Knox News race, justice and equity reporter. Email angela.dennis@knoxnews.com. Twitter @AngeladWrites. Instagram @angeladenniswrites. Facebook at Angela Dennis.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Beck Eighth of August Jubilee to feature new film about Emmett Till