Reverend Wheeler Parker Jr. is pastor and district superintendent of the Argo Temple Church of God in Christ in Summit, Illinois, the church built by Alma Carthan, grandmother of Emmett Till. A sought-after public speaker, Rev. Parker lectures and teaches on the history of the struggle for equal justice in America. In 2023, he attended the signing of the proclamation establishing the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument as an honored guest of President Joe Biden. He has enjoyed more than fifty years of marriage to his wife, Dr. Marvel Parker. Christopher Benson-Emmy Award-winning lawyer, journalist, and associate professor at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism-co-authored, with the late Mamie Till-Mobley, the Pulitzer Prize-nominated, Robert F. Kennedy Award-winning Death of Innocence. Formerly the Washington editor of Ebony, he has contributed to Chicago magazine, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and The New York Times.
“The murder of Emmett Till is an inflection point in the story of America—a moment of particular and of universal significance. In this moving and important book, the Reverend Wheeler Parker Jr. and Christopher Benson give us a unique window onto the anguished search for justice in a case whose implications shape us still. A vital and absorbing book.”—Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of And There Was Light “Everyone should read this compelling account to understand why we must continue to fight for justice on all levels.”—Carlotta Walls LaNier, author of A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School “Emmett Till’s murder changed the course of American history. Like so much of our history, the truth of it has been shrouded and distorted, but Reverend Parker’s riveting book reveals new details about Till’s life and community, as well as shocking twists in the decades-long quest for justice. It’s a precious contribution to our shared history, and I am grateful for it.”—Heather McGhee, New York Times bestselling author of The Sum of Us “A critical piece of a story that has haunted America for more than sixty-five years is finally revealed—it is in this book that we begin to understand the core components of the movement we know as Black Lives Matter.”—Alicia Garza, author of The Purpose of Power and co-creator of #BlackLivesMatter “Compelling evidence that the fight for racial justice is never truly over.”—Kirkus Reviews