This reminds me of George Wallace’s famous realization that his long term institutionalization of racism in Alabama was wrong when he was getting close to death’s door. It was kind of nice to hear, but lots of damage was done.
I found it interesting that Wallace didn't start out racist: he became racist when he discovered it would help him win elections. Before that he was a liberal.
The tragedy of Emmitt Till's murder wasn't just his death, but that it was representative of a corrupt and violent White Southerner culture that lasted despite the horror of what was done to him (and the loss of face the Deep South experienced when it was exposed). She spent 70 years standing by her lie. About 4 years into it, she was old enough to start making it right and didn't.
Further tragedy: the two men accused of his murder admitted in 1956 that they'd done it but since they'd already been acquitted they were immune from further prosecution.
Furthermore, a plaque memorializing his murder is constantly vandalized and stolen (three times in the last twelve years). The current one (if it is still there now a year later) was made bulletproof: https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/10/20/this-emmet...
According to Wikipedia she was 21. Emmett Till was 14. Also, the evidence that she recanted is shaky. She was 72 in 2008 when this allegedly happened. If she recanted in the presence of the interviewer, it wasn't on tape and she hasn't done it since.
I think if we try real hard we can figure out how. African American kids under ten can be super predators. A white woman at 21 can probably be responsible.
I am skeptical. I think people like Koch have been fanning the flames for a long time, only to now see that the monster rose up and threatens to eat them. They'd like to put the genie back in the bottle, but it's too late for that.
