ALA.NI echoes demands for justice on her powerful new single “Lament for Emmett Till”

Emmett Till was a 14-year-old African American boy who was kidnapped and brutally murdered after being falsely accused of making sexual advances towards Carolyn Bryant - a white female shop clerk. Those responsible for his death were put on trial for his murder, only to be acquitted by an all-white jury. Bryant’s testimony was never heard - ruled inadmissible by the judge, and several months later his murderers confessed in a paid magazine interview, knowing they couldn’t be retried. Bryant later admitted that she'd lied to police about the events, effectively helping the young boy’s murderers escape justice.

Till’s lynching and the images of his mutilated body at his open casket funeral became galvanising factors in the establishment of the Civil Rights Movement, and continue to be of huge importance to the progress being made by the Black Lives Matter movement today.

Justice for the brutal murder of Emmett Till still remains far out of reach, with the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation pushing to pass ‘The Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act’: a bill currently being inexplicably blocked by a Republican senator, despite its aim to make lynching a federal crime. A memorial to Till was replaced last year with a bullet-proof sign after being vandalised multiple times.

On the eve of what would've been the inculpable Emmett Till's 79th birthday, Paris-based London-born singer songwriter ALA.NI follows in the footsteps of Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris and Janelle Monae in releasing a track that lends yet another voice to the fight for justice for Till’s murder. She is herself an ambassador of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, helping them in their efforts to pressure the FBI to release the findings of their recent re-investigation into the murder.

On “Lament for Emmett Till”, ALA.NI’s haunting vocals reverberate the words of activist and journalist Claudia Jones’ poem of the same name, echoing their potency. The deep-felt anger and demands for justice are palpable, taking centre stage on a track that couldn’t be more fitting to our present.

“Six years ago, I was studying the works and activism of Ms Claudia Jones and came across a poem that she had written for Emmett Till in December 1955. This poetry moved me to write a song.

“I then went to the studio to record a demo version of the ‘Lament for Emmett Till’ and I could only sing it once. It was too painful to sing again. The version released is the first take, the one and only recording. The studio tape was lost. Six years later, I have no choice but to sing it, shout it, scream it.”

“We find ourselves at a pivotal point in world history, where we must act now and fast, before all is too late. This is our last chance to fight for rightful equalities before the fascists take over.”

“I’m reaching out to the people to seek justice for Emmett Till. Knowing the power of music, I hope it can be used as an effective tool to bring the much needed awareness to this long-overdue murder case. Justice for Emmett Till will set a precedent for the systematic reform that must take place, that we can no longer afford to ignore and wait patiently for.”