Emmett Till Interpretive Center

What Emmett Till Interpretive Center does

The Emmett Till Interpretive Center (ETIC) is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2006 and headquartered in Sumner, Mississippi. Originally formed as the Emmett Till Memorial Commission by local Black and white citizens in Tallahatchie County, it changed its legal name in 2023 and now operates as the official partner organization of the federally designated Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument. ETIC preserves and interprets sacred sites associated with the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till and the legacy of his mother Mamie Till-Mobley, supporting visitor operations on behalf of the National Park Service at the courthouse and visitor center in Sumner, MS, and developing the recently acquired Milam Seed Barn (2025) into a permanent memorial site.

ETIC's core product surface includes the AASLH award-winning touring exhibition 'Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See' (launched 2021 with The Children's Museum of Indianapolis), a permanent visitor center exhibit, the Emmett Till Memory Project digital platform with companion iOS/Android app, a six-lesson K-12 curriculum co-developed with Facing History & Ourselves, and a growing program of traveling and virtual exhibits. The organization serves museums, civil rights institutions, universities, K-12 schools, and the general public, with travel and visitor bookings coordinated through email and online booking tools.

ETIC's revenue is generated primarily through individual donations (online and mail), grants from federal and state humanities agencies (notably a 2025 $1.25M National Park Service grant and $75K Mississippi Humanities Council grant), planned giving, and proceeds from celebrity and high-net-worth donations such as a Shonda Rhimes contribution earmarked for the Barn memorial. Exhibit booking fees and educational resource pricing are not publicly disclosed, with institutional inquiries routed through [email protected]. The organization operates with 1-10 employees and is governed by a small board that includes Tallahatchie County civic figures such as Dorothy Martin.

Name

Emmett Till Interpretive Center

Legal name

Emmett Till Interpretive Center

Website

https://www.emmett-till.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Emmett Till Interpretive Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2006 in Sumner, Mississippi that operates as the official partner of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, preserving sacred civil rights sites, running the award-winning 'Let the World See' touring exhibit, and delivering curriculum to schools and museums nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museum and Cultural Heritage Education

NAICS

Museums (712110), Historical Sites (71212), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Archaeological Sites & Heritage Interpretation Centers (THAJADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Museum & Landmark Guided Tours (Skip-the-line/Docent-led) (THAJAAAC), Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD), Kids & Family Learning Workshops (Family Crafts, Junior Maker Classes) (THAJAKAO)

Keywords

• Civil rights education
• Historical preservation
• Museum exhibits
• Restorative justice
• Interpretive center

Headquarters

HQ city

Sumner

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations: The primary revenue stream is individual donations accepted online (via PayPal, Google Pay, credit card, or ACH bank transfer) and by mail (check payable to Emmett Till Interpretive Center). The organization also accepts donor-advised fund contributions.
2. Grants: The organization receives grant funding from organizations such as the National Park Service ($1.25 million award in 2025) and the Mississippi Humanities Council ($75,000 grant approved). Grants support educational programming, historic preservation, and operational costs.
3. Planned Giving: The organization accepts planned giving through wills and estate plans. Tax ID: 27-2895136.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Emmett Till Interpretive Center operates as a non-profit museum and interpretive center that preserves and interprets the story and sacred sites of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley. It offers a traveling exhibit, an on-site visitor center exhibit, historic preservation of the Milam Seed Barn, an Emmett Till Curriculum for educational audiences, and the Emmett Till Memory Project digital platform with mobile applications. Programs promote restorative justice and racial healing through in-person visits, exhibit bookings, and digital outreach.

Product overview

The Emmett Till Interpretive Center is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of interpretive and educational products centered on preserving and sharing the history of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley. The core offerings include the award-winning 'Let the World See' traveling museum exhibit (featuring interactive panels, historical photographs, and an immersive sound and light show), a permanent visitor center exhibit at the National Park Service location in Sumner, MS, and the digital Emmett Till Memory Project platform with companion mobile app. The organization also operates sacred site preservation initiatives including The Barn memorial development, provides guided tours of historic sites, and offers educational curriculum materials for schools. These products work together to fulfill ETIC's mission of narrative, education, and memorialization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• "Let the World See" Traveling Exhibit
• Let the World See Visitor Center Exhibit
• The Barn (Milam Seed Barn)
• Emmett Till Memory Project
• Emmett Till Curriculum
• Guided Tours and Community Panel Series

Quantifiable outcome

• Tens of thousands of attendees reached through the traveling exhibit with overwhelmingly positive reception.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• National Parks Conservation AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2025The National Parks Conservation Association partnered with the Emmett Till Interpretive Center to organize the commemorative events marking the 70th anniversary of Emmett Till's lynching, including the re-creation of the 1955 train ride from Chicago to Mississippi.
• Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument (National Park Service)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Emmett Till Interpretive Center is the official partner of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument. ETIC supports visitor operations on behalf of the National Park Service at the Visitor Center in Sumner, MS, and advocates for the National Monument.
• The Children's Museum of IndianapolisflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated to develop the 'Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See' traveling exhibit in 2021. The Children's Museum of Indianapolis served as the original host venue.
• Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed the traveling exhibit and curriculum resources with ETIC. A key partner in preserving and interpreting the Till story.
• Facing History & OurselvescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped a six-lesson social studies curriculum examining the history and legacy of Emmett Till's murder, designed for high school students.
• National Park Friends AllianceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFeatured in a member spotlight article on the National Park Friends Alliance website, a network of NPS partners. The Alliance highlighted ETIC's accomplishments including the public apology, National Monument designation, and barn purchase.
• National Underground Railroad Freedom CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted the 'Let the World See' traveling exhibit. Served as a venue for the exhibit in Cincinnati, Ohio.
• National Civil Rights MuseumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted the 'Let the World See' traveling exhibit. Located in Memphis, Tennessee.
• Mosaic Templars Cultural CenterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted the 'Let the World See' traveling exhibit in Little Rock, Arkansas.
• Minnetrista Museum & GardensminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted the 'Let the World See' traveling exhibit in Muncie, Indiana (January 24 - April 12, 2026), featuring programming for Black History Month.
• Civil Rights Memorial Center (Southern Poverty Law Center)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerWill host the 'Let the World See' traveling exhibit in Montgomery, Alabama (tentative opening April 28, closing August 14, 2026).
• Emmett Till Memory Project (University of Kansas)coreTechnology or IntegrationA collaboration among Dr. Dave Tell of the University of Kansas, design firm Included by FAVOR, and ETIC. The website and smartphone app engage visitors through video, immersive audio, and scholarly narratives at Till sites. Responds to vandalism of physical markers with digital preservation.
• Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal ChurchminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted a Faith Forum conversation with Executive Director Patrick Weems on the mission of ETIC and the role of memory work in advancing truth, racial healing, and restorative justice.
• Jackson State UniversityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHosted Dr. Daphne Chamberlain's keynote at the 58th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Birthday Convocation. Site of 'Remembering Emmett' panel discussions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• National Civil Rights Museum: Located at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, TN, the National Civil Rights Museum is a peer heritage and civil rights interpretive institution. It hosts the same 'Let the World See' traveling exhibit and operates a comparable museum, education, and memorialization model focused on the American civil rights movement.
• National Underground Railroad Freedom Center: Cincinnati-based museum and educational institution focused on the history of slavery, the Underground Railroad, and contemporary freedom movements. It hosted the 'Let the World See' exhibit and shares ETIC's model of combining permanent exhibits, traveling programming, and curriculum for schools.
• Equal Justice Initiative (Legacy Museum): Montgomery, AL-based Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace and Justice focused on the legacy of slavery, lynching, and racial injustice in America. Directly comparable to ETIC in mission, content focus (lynching history), and educational programming model.
• Mississippi Civil Rights Museum: Mississippi Department of Archives and History museum in Jackson, MS, sharing the same Mississippi-based civil rights interpretation mandate. Closely comparable to ETIC in geographic context, mission focus on Mississippi civil rights history, and educational programming.
• Birmingham Civil Rights Institute: Birmingham, AL interpretive center and museum chronicling the American civil rights movement, with a focus on the Birmingham campaign. Comparable to ETIC in operating model, educational programming, and reliance on museum/cultural partnerships to advance racial healing work.
• Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History: Detroit-based museum of African American history with permanent exhibits, traveling programming, and educational outreach. Comparable to ETIC in combining museum interpretation, traveling exhibits, and community-facing educational programming on Black history.
• Center for Civil and Human Rights: Atlanta-based museum and educational center connecting the American civil rights movement to contemporary global human rights. Comparable to ETIC in interpretive mission, school programming, and use of immersive exhibits and storytelling to drive visitor engagement.
• Rosa Parks Museum: Troy University-operated museum in Montgomery, AL focused on Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. A smaller-scale peer comparable to ETIC in mission focus, interpretive scope, and educational programming tied to civil rights history.
• Whitney Plantation: Wallace, LA-based museum and former plantation site dedicated to telling the story of slavery. Comparable to ETIC in operating a historic site as an interpretive center focused on confronting difficult history, using guided tours and educational programming for school and public visitors.

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture: The Smithsonian's national museum dedicated to African American history and culture. A much larger incumbent operating broadly in the same historical/interpretive space as ETIC, with overlapping subject matter but a national scope and federal endowment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/etic_tillcenter
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@emmettillinterpretivecenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/TillCenter
• Instagraminstagram.com/emmetttillinterpretivecenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emmett-till-interpretive-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Emmett Till Interpretive Center