Willie Louis facts for kids

Willie Louis (born Willie Reed; June 14, 1937 – July 18, 2013) was a very important witness in the case of Emmett Till. Emmett Till was a 14-year-old African-American boy from Chicago. He was sadly killed in 1955 in Money, Mississippi. This happened after he reportedly whistled at a white woman in a store. Emmett Till's death became a major event in the Civil Rights Movement. Willie Louis bravely told the court what he had seen. However, an all-white jury decided that the men accused were not guilty. Because he feared for his life, Louis moved to Chicago after the trial. He also changed his name from Willie Reed to Willie Louis. Years later, he was interviewed for a PBS documentary in 2003. He also appeared on the CBS News show 60 Minutes in 2004.

Willie's Early Life

Willie Reed, who later became Willie Louis, was born in 1937. His birthplace was Greenwood, Mississippi. This town is on the eastern side of the Mississippi Delta. He grew up in Drew, Mississippi. His grandparents raised him there. They worked as sharecroppers, which means they farmed land owned by someone else and shared the crops. Willie did not get much formal schooling. He spent his early years working in the cotton fields.

The Emmett Till Case

Why Willie Decided to Speak Up

On August 31, 1955, Emmett Till's body was found in the Tallahatchie River. Willie Reed saw a picture of Emmett in the newspaper. He recognized him as the boy he had seen in the back of a truck. Two men, Bryant and Milam, were arrested for the crime. Willie's grandfather warned him that speaking up would be dangerous.

Later, civil rights workers talked to Willie. They convinced him to tell what he knew in court. To keep him safe, Willie went into hiding until the trial began.

When Willie arrived at the courthouse in September 1955, many angry people were outside. He bravely testified at the trial. He was shown a picture of Emmett Till. Willie said it looked like the boy he had seen in the truck. He also pointed out Milam. He told the court he saw Milam come out of a barn for a drink of water, then go back inside.

The prosecutor used Willie's testimony in his final speech. He said that if Willie had been lying, the defense would have needed many lawyers to prove it. But they could not, "because Willie Reed was telling the truth." He even said Willie Reed had more courage than he did. Despite Willie's testimony and other facts, Bryant and Milam were found not guilty. The all-white jury made their decision after only an hour.

How People Reacted to Willie's Testimony

After the trial, some people thought Willie had not been a good witness. They said he had given different stories about how far he was from Milam. They also questioned if he truly recognized him. Even Emmett Till's mother later said that "Little Willie Reed" was "not a good witness." She felt he had a story but struggled to tell it clearly. She believed he needed more education to express himself better.

However, many others had a positive view of Willie's testimony. The Jackson Daily News newspaper called his testimony "the most damaging" evidence. They said it had "electrified the court." The New York Times later wrote that Willie's testimony "made him a hero" of the Civil Rights Movement. The Daily Worker newspaper published an article called "The Shame of Our Nation." It showed anger at the trial's outcome. But it also praised Willie and other witnesses as "heroes of the Negro people." They were brave for giving their testimony despite the danger.

Historian David T. Beito said Willie was "the best eyewitness that they found." He added that Willie's actions were "the bravest act of them all." Willie had nothing to gain. He was not related to Emmett Till and did not know him. He was just an 18-year-old kid who went into a very dangerous situation.

Willie's Later Life

After testifying in the Till case, Willie Reed moved to Chicago. He changed his name to Willie Louis. He worked as an orderly at Woodlawn Hospital. Later, he worked at Jackson Park Hospital. In 1976, he married Juliet Louis. She was a nursing aide at Jackson Park. Willie did not talk much about his part in the Emmett Till case. His wife did not even know about his connection to the case until 1984. She remembered that "he didn't talk about it much."

In 2003, Stanley Nelson found Willie Louis and interviewed him. Nelson later wrote a book and made a documentary about the case. Nelson's documentary, The Murder of Emmett Till, was shown on PBS television. It included an interview with Willie Louis. Nelson later said: Willie Reed stood up. With amazing bravery, he pointed out the people who had taken and killed Emmett Till. He was from Mississippi. Deep down, he must have known these people would not be found guilty. But he did what he felt he had to do.

After this, Willie Louis met Emmett Till's mother. He also started speaking in public about the case. In 2004, he was interviewed on the CBS News television show 60 Minutes. During the interview, Willie Louis explained why he decided to testify: "I couldn't have walked away from that. Emmett was 14, probably had never been to Mississippi in his life, and he come to visit his grandfather and they killed him. I mean, that's not right."

In July 2013, Willie Louis passed away at age 76. He died in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

More Information

• Interview with Willie Reed for WGBH Public Television series "American Experience: The Murder of Emmett Till"