He was with Emmett Till the night he was murdered. The horror haunts him still

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/12/ [login to see] /emmett-till-wheeler-parker
The horror happened 67 years ago, but it never left the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr. It never will.

There are times even now, when he will break down in tears when he describes what happened that night in Mississippi in 1955. Still, the story must be told.

"It changed my life," said the 83-year-old Parker. "I promised God if he just saved my life, I was going to do right."

Parker was just 16 years old when his cousin and best friend, 14-year-old Emmett Till, was lynched. Till's murder would spur international outrage and propel the fight for justice and equality. Parker is the last living witness of the kidnapping.

"We're here now because he still speaks from the grave. His story resonates and brought about a lot of changes," said Parker, who is now the pastor of the Illinois church founded by Till's grandmother.