Th

e Defi n

itive Em

mett T

ill: P

assion

and

Battle o

f a Wo

man

for T

ruth

and

Intellectu

al Justice

Clen

ora H

ud

son

-Weem

s, Ph

.D.

The Definitive Emmett Till: Passion and Battle of a Woman for Truth and Intellectual Justice(2006--1st edition) is a sequel to the book, Emmett Till: The Sacrificial Lamb of the Civil Rights Movement (1994), which is a reprint, with minute revisions, of the author’s 1988 Ford Foundation Fellowship Dissertation. The University of Iowa dissertation, entitled “Emmett Till: The Impetus of the Modern Civil Rights Movement,” was the first to resurrect and establish the August 28, 1955 brutal lynching of the 14-year-old Black Chicago youth, Emmett Louis Till, as the inception of the Movement of the 50s and the 60s, thereby becoming the first full length study of Till as catalyst. Moreover, the author is also the first to write three books on the subject, a Till Trilogy, the last volume entitled Plagiarism—Physical and Intellectual Lynchings: an Emmett Till Continuum (2007).

This book contains many powerful testi-

monies from both inside and outside the

Academy, speaking out against the abomi-

nable crime of plagiarism. The supporters/

endorsers corroborate the author’s position

that the culprits of the insidious crime of

plagiarism must be exposed so that the

victim can be vindicated with the return

of the intellectual property to its rightful

owner. The media/ mass communication

outlets must acknowledge the real person

responsible for the original Till research,

with copyrights owned by this author dat-

ing back 1988 as proof of the facts. The

information in this book makes possible

for the public to know at last who is really

responsible for the popular controversial

research/interpretation surrounding this

subject and not be misled into believing

that whom they see portrayed in the media

as Till authorities are legitimate.

I met Dr. Clenora Hudson-Weems in D. C. at the National Ford Annual Conference in 1987. She was one of the plenary speakers, rendering a most eloquent and engaging slide presentation on her groundbreaking thesis of Till as catalyst of the civil rights movement. It was astounding; I remember it as though it were yesterday. Clenora’s work resonates with me to this day. At that moment, she resurrected and established Till as the beginning of the Movement. Later, shortly before completing the Ph.D. in May 1988, she began communicating with Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till Mobley and encouraging her to seek justice for her son’s brutal murder. Thus anyone who lays claim to exhuming the Till saga before Dr. Hudson-Weems demands to be questioned.

- Dr. William Turner, Vice Pres; Assoc. Provost, U. of KY

It is the responsibility of all writers to cite the research and writings of those who come before them. In a world where credit is often given to mediocrity, we can ill aff ord to ignore the work of the scholars who pave the way for us to craft story. Hudson-Weems’ Till writings are clearly the fi rst full length studies to establish the lynching of this martyr as the true catalyst for the Modern Civil Rights Movement. Hence, anyone writing after her on this subject has the responsibility to not only know the source but to cite her work as well. To not do this or to claim ignorance of her work is an obvious sign of fraud, inferior research, or arrogance.

- Evelyn Coleman, Award-Winning Author of What a Woman’s Gotta Do

For nearly 20 years, Hudson-Weems was the lone voice calling for a fresh assessment of the true historical significance of the murder of Emmett Till. That voice has lately been joined by a host of others, but there is disharmony in the choir. The de facto failure to credit, let alone acknowledge, both her pioneering work and her rightful place as thepreeminent Till scholar is more than intellectual theft; it is personal grand larceny. The truth needs to get out that the real authority about Emmett’s story is Clenora. When someone’s dedicated his or her life, and mined the subject as much as Clenora has, her name needs to be connected with what she’s done. Further, my own effort to assist Clenora in realizing her dream of producing a motion picture based on her research and vision of racial healing through redemption has also been compromised by this sudden rash of Till “experts.” Modern day pirates beware; legions stand between you and your greed. With the support of her many friends, colleagues, and true believers, Dr. Hudson-Weems’ unique voice will not be lost in the present cacophony, nor will her impersonators go unchallenged.

- Barry Morrow, Oscar Award-Winning Co-Writer for Rain Man; Producer

Clenora Hudson-Weems, Prof. of English, UMC, received BA degree - LeMoyne College; MA degree - Atlanta University; Ph. D. degree - University of Iowa; Certificate of French Studies - L’Université de Dijon. She is the author of Plagiarism - Physical and Intellectual Lynchings: An Emmett Till Continuum, Africana Womanist Literary Theory, Emmett Till: The Sacrificial Lamb of the Civil Rights Movement, Africana Womanism: Reclaiming Ourselves, editor of Contemporary Africana Theory, Thought and Action: A Guide to Africana Studies, co-author with Dr. Winfred D. Samuels of Toni Morrison. She has chapters/articles in Call and Response: The Riverside Anthology of the African American Literary Tradition; Out of the Revolution: The Development of Africana Studies, A Historical & Bibliographical Guide to the African American Experience; State of the Race, & Sisterhood, Feminisms and Power. She was guest editor for a special issue “Africana Womanism”, for The Western Journal of Black Studies, fall 2001. Plagiarism - Physical and Intellectual Lynchings: A Till Continuum. Current work - movie script Emmett: Passion for Truth (with Barry Morrow, producer). Her novel, Soul Mates, is forthcoming. Her latest passion is the plight of Black farmers and land owners.