A Belgian educational startup has come under fire for posting a timeline of the events surrounding Emmett Till's 1955 murder that some Twitter users deemed insensitive.
As a supposed tribute to Black History Month, a company called Hstry tweeted a play-by-play of the events leading up to the 14-year old Till's murder and the trial that followed, in which his killers were acquitted. It was a pivotal tragedy that fueled the burgeoning Civil Rights movement.
The first-hand account, told through a series of dozens of tweets, is largely written from the perspective of Moses Wright, Emmett Till's Great Uncle. No sources are cited, and it appears to be a dramatized version of Wright's memories.
Hstry CEO Thomas Ketchell told Mashable that the first-person narrative segments were inspired by sources listed in an accompanying lesson plan.
But for many Twitter users, the retelling of a horrific crime -- and the promotion around it -- came off as ham-handed and inappropriate for a month intended as a celebration of black culture:
I am all for NOT whitewashing history but how is THIS http://t.co/sDFznCNhWq helpful - it looks like they're using Emmett's death to troll— #BlackLivesMatter (@VeryWhiteGuy) February 5, 2015
And did @HstryOrg really believe that re-enacting via live-tweets the death of Emmett Till was a good idea?! pic.twitter.com/zmcL8i0SuV— deray mckesson (@deray) February 5, 2015
A professional historian (esp a public historian!) would have told you that ventriloquizing Mose Wright was a . . . bad idea. @HstryOrg— jacqui shine (@DearSplenda) February 5, 2015
I don't understand how doing a "dramatic re telling" of Emmett till's murder could ever sound like a good idea for #bhm @HstryOrg— Deaux (@dstfelix) February 4, 2015
A digital blackface reenactment of Emmett Till’s murder.— Tamz Got Bandz (@Omgitstamz) February 4, 2015
There were also charges that the account was partly taken from an article by journalist William Bradford Huie. The journalist allegedly paid Till's killers thousands of dollars to get their rendition of his death.
Large portions of @HstryOrg's account of the abduction of Emmett Till are plagiarized from William Bradford Huie. Others are just made up.— Angus Johnston (@studentactivism) February 5, 2015
Despite the backlash, some thought the controversy was overblown.
Wait. We're upset because @HstryOrg sent out a series of tweets chronicling the murder of Emmett Till? Why? pic.twitter.com/3sLlCadiCs— beautifully flawed (@kiaspeaks) February 5, 2015
According to Hstry's website, the company aims to turn history into interactive timelines and sell students and teachers tools to do the same. The company was founded in Belgium but also has an office in the U.S.; it has previously published "live-tweeted" timelines of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the midnight ride of Paul Revere.
The company posted an apology on Twitter, and followed up with a blog post in which it refuted accusations of a publicity stunt.
"We wish to apologize profusely for causing any distress during our live Twitter re-enactment of the court case following the tragic death of Emmett Till," the blog post said. "Please be assured that this was not our intention. We were not tweeting to create controversy, nor to increase web traffic."
We wish to apologize profusely for causing any distress with our Twitter timeline today: http://t.co/cfBXoQjm0P— HSTRY (@HstryOrg) February 5, 2015
UPDATED 8 p.m. PST to include Hstry CEO's comment.
UPDATE Feb. 5, 4 p.m. PST: Ketchell told Mashable that Hstry has apologized to Emmett Till's family, and the company is now working with the Mamie Till Mobley Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the memory of Emett Till's mother, to update the timeline. Hstry will also collaborate with the group to put together a memorial for the 60th anniversary of the murder this August.
A more extensive explanation for the mistakes was also posted.
We believe in using alternate methodologies to reach different populations for educ purposes. TWITTER -excellent platform- wrong approach.— MamieTill Mobley (@EmmettTillTalks) February 5, 2015
As a family, we are the guardians of Emmett Till's legacy. Orgs & Institutions like @hstryorg must show respect esp for survivors from 1955.— MamieTill Mobley (@EmmettTillTalks) February 5, 2015