Standing in my boss’s garage, I counted bullet holes on two memorial signs that represented one of the most dark chapters in American history. My boss Jerry Mitchell showed me a photo showing three white college students carrying guns, posing before a sign honoring Emmett till, the civil rights icon who was shot. I assumed it was an image from 1960s Mississippi. Unfortunately, I was wrong. I was wrong. Mitchell reported the story about the vandalism that occurred in July 2019 after receiving a copy from an Instagram source. Mitchell was assisted by the curator of the signs who delivered them to him to assist in his investigation. The shooting was carried out by students is unknown. Till was just 14 years old when he was kidnapped by a group white men and tortured to death in 1955 for whistling at a woman. This was a deeply Southern sin. His body was found in Tallahatchie River three days later. Till’s killers were found dead in the Tallahatchie River by an all-white jury. They later admitted to it with impunity. I was stooping down in front the signs to begin the tedious and emotionally draining task, counting and recounting all the bullet holes. I was reminded of an incident years ago when I was part of a civil rights march in Forsyth County in Georgia. I saw a child sitting on an adult’s shoulder, shouting “Go home, niggers!” That is how hatred and racism grow. At first, I was angry at the destruction of the sign. Later, I felt immense sadness when I thought of what Till and many others had been through because of their skin color. My skin is different from my forefathers’. I counted 317 pellet and bullet holes. The message was clear: Till’s memory is the only thing that remains. Till’s mother, Till, insisted that a casket be open at his funeral after he was murdered. This allowed the entire world to see the horrific things that had been done to her son. Jet, a national black magazine published Till’s vividly distorted body and shocked the nation. Some of Till’s black youth claim that the horrifying image haunted them and had an indelible effect on their lives. Robert Luckett, a Jackson State University civil rights historian, stated that Till’s senseless killing awakened many of their consciousness and helped them transition from childhood to adulthood. This led to many joining the 1960s civil right movement. Hezekiah Watkins (a former Freedom Rider) said that many young people don’t know Till’s story. He works at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. Watkins stated that Till’s documentary often leaves black children in tears. Ironically, Till’s recent vandalism acts and subsequent media coverage have had the unintended result of raising awareness. Patrick Weems is the executive director of the Till Commission. He said that the signs were repaired on October 7. The sign was replaced with a bulletproof sign, which cost more than $10,000 and weighs in at 500 pounds. A small group of white supremacists attempted to film a pro-Israeli propaganda video on the sign, but were stopped by an alarm. Weems stated that the commission was notified the next day by Weems: These incidents expose the underlying racial tensions and reinforce negative perceptions about the state. It is difficult to recruit highly-qualified doctors and other qualified professionals. Luckett stated that Mississippi was the most violent American state during Jim Crow era. The Equal Justice Initiative documented 4,084 lynches in the South between 1877 and 1950. 654 of these were in Mississippi, which has the highest number of lynchings anywhere in the country. Although I was apprehensive about moving to Mississippi, it is now a state where overt racism is not common. In fact, most people in Mississippi are able to live peacefully with both black and white people. The Jim Crow era’s remnants are visible in the state’s disparities in its political, economic and social justice systems as well as in the Confederate battle emblem and Confederate monuments that cover the state. D’Andra Orey from Jackson State University, a political science professor, stated that these symbols serve as a constant reminder for African Americans about slavery and structural racism in Mississippi. The 2001 referendum to alter the design of the state’s flag failed. Orey stated that he became disillusioned after the flag vote failed and that he felt it was best to leave the state. He also said that he made the difficult decision to leave his son behind. Orey returned to his hometown to reclaim his birthplace. His research examined the physiological and subconscious reactions of individuals to the Confederate Flag. Mississippi is an example of the racial tensions across America. Apart from the history of extreme racism, Mississippi is also the poorest state in America with just 38 percent of its black population. Many of these people are living in intergenerational poverty. This is due in part to educational inequalities and long-standing policies that residents and political observers claim are meant to prevent black people from advancing. Luckett stated that while the white power structure does not explicitly engage in racism, their actions and words are implicitly about racialized control. Although many black people are elected to local offices, they lack the economic power and all statewide offices are held by white Republicans. Orey also stated that there is a large racial gap in housing, churches, and schools. Weems, who is a white Mississippian admits that he didn’t know about systemic racial injustices before 2005 when he attended University of Mississippi. This name, which comes from the antebellum period, was used by slaves to address their wives. Weems stated that gun-toting college students attended “Ole Miss.” He added that Emmett Till will never be brought back nor will we ever correct the wrongs from the past. “But if both black and white communities accept what happened, then we can all share a future that is based on reality. Our policies will reflect a more equal system, one that considers generations of injustice.” Although the burden of this seemingly simple assignment weighed heavily in my mind for days I knew it was important. Although the job of a journalist is not glamorous and laborious, it can make a difference in society by making people aware of injustice and exposing hate. This is what keeps me awake in the morning.