Who was Carolyn Bryant Donham’s husband? – Carolyn Bryant Donham happened to be the white woman whose accusations led to the lynching of black teenager Emmett Till in Mississippi in 1955.
Her husband, Roy Bryant, and another man, JW Milam, kidnapped Emmett from his bed, beat him, shot him, and threw his body in a river. Although both men were acquitted by an all-white jury, they later confessed to the murder in an interview with Look magazine in 1956. Donham testified at trial that Emmett grabbed her and verbally threatened her.
Years later, in 2008, when Carolyn Bryant Donham was interviewed by Professor Timothy Tyson, she reportedly recanted part of her statement. She claimed Emmett did not grab her hand or waist and proposition her, saying he had been with “white women” before. That revelation led to calls for authorities to reopen the investigation, with the U.S. Department of Justice saying it would contradict statements Donham made at the 1955 state trial and later to the FBI.
After Donham’s death, Tyson released a statement emphasizing that the story of Emmett Till’s murder was not just about a few individuals who committed a heinous act, but also about the larger social order that enabled that act. Till’s death is an example of the systemic racism that was pervasive in America at the time. He became a symbol of the civil rights movement, which sought to combat the inequalities and injustices faced by black people.
The Emmett Till affair had a profound impact on American history and culture. He has been the subject of numerous books, documentaries and other works of art. The reopening of the investigation into his murder shows that the fight for justice and equality continues and that the truth must be sought, no matter how much time has passed.
Who was Carolyn Bryant Donham’s husband?
Her husband was known as Roy Bryant. They were married from 1951 to 1979. Roy reportedly died in 1994.