‘Women of the Movement’: New Drama Tells Story of Emmett Till’s Mom (VIDEO)

Adrienne Warren and Cedric Joe in Women of the Movement
ABC/Matt Sayles

Emmett Till became a symbol for the Civil Rights movement after he was brutally murdered in 1955 and now a new ABC series tells the powerful story of his mother’s fight for justice.

The network has released a teaser (watch below) for the limited series event, Women of the Movement, which focuses on Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother who refused to let her son’s murder disappear from the headlines. Emmett’s horrific death, where he was savagely beaten, shot, and lynched while on a trip to Mississippi, sparked outrage across America and helped galvanize the Civil Rights movement thanks to people like Mamie, who emerged as an activist for change.

Tony Award-winning actress Adrienne Warren stars as Mamie with Tonya Pinkins (Madam Secretary) as Alma, Cedric Joe (Modern Family) as Emmett Till, Ray Fisher (True Detective) as Gene Mobley, Glynn Turman (Fargo) as Mose Wright, Chris Coy (The Deuce) as J.W. Milam, Carter Jenkins (Famous in Love) as Roy Bryant and Julia McDermott as Carolyn Bryant.

Actor Will Smith and rapper Jay-Z are part of the production team working on the series, alongside Marissa Jo Cerar, who serves as executive producer, writer, and showrunner. Smith and Jay-Z have been trying to get the project off the ground for years, with the show initially set to air on HBO over five years ago; however, the network didn’t pick up the series.

“I am thrilled to bring this project to television,” Cerar said in a statement last year when ABC greenlit the series. “It is unfortunately very timely, and my hope is to give the audience a chance to learn who Emmett Till really was – the boy, rather than the victim or the martyr – while also showcasing Mamie’s astonishing strength in the face of a mother’s worst nightmare.

She continued: “Telling Emmett and Mamie’s story is a responsibility I have not taken lightly since I began this journey last year, because this is more than a tragedy; it’s a story about a mother’s unwavering love of her son and her commitment to bettering the lives of all Black people.”

Women of the Movement is scheduled to premiere midseason during the 2021-2022 TV season on ABC.