UPDATED, 1:30 PM: Michelle Obama and rapper-actor-producer Common will appear on Let the World See, a companion docuseries to ABC‘s limited series Women of the Movement, ABC News announced Wednesday. Both natives of Chicago, Obama and Common each will add their personal insights into the life and legacy of Mamie Till-Mobley, according to the network.
Let The World See chronicles Till-Mobley’s quest for justice that sparked the civil rights movement after her son Emmett Till’s brutal murder.
PREVIOUS, Dec. 2: ABC News today unveiled Let The World See, a limited docuseries produced in association with Shawn Carter’s Roc Nation, Will Smith‘s Westbrook Studios, Aaron Kaplan‘s Kapital Entertainment and Cobble Hill Films, which will premiere on ABC on January 6 at 10:01 p.m. EST. The companion piece to upcoming limited series Women of the Movement—also produced by Roc Nation, Westbrook Studios and Kapital Entertainment—will follow it on the air over the course of three consecutive Thursday nights. Episodes of both series will be available for on demand viewing, and on Hulu, the day after their premieres.
Let The World See will chronicle Mamie Till-Mobley’s fierce quest for justice that sparked the civil rights movement after her son Emmett Till’s brutal murder, inspiring many—including icons like Rosa Parks—to stand up boldly for their rights. It will examine her fight to bring her son’s body home to Chicago and her pivotal yet heartbreaking decision to have an open-casket funeral for the public to see, also tracing her journey back to the Jim Crow South to face her son’s murderers in court. The program will also illustrate how the Till family’s legacy has continued following her passing in 2003, remaining active in the movement as the deaths of Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Ms. Breonna Taylor and others sparked protests around the country.
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The special limited series will feature interview with Emmett Till’s family, as well as sit-downs with contemporary figures including Rev. Jesse Jackson, activist and friend of Ms. Till-Mobley; FBI agent Lent Rice, who was a part of the team that opened a new investigation into Emmett Till’s case more than 50 years after his death; journalist Dan Wakefield, who covered the Till murder trial; and Betty Pearson, who watched the trial in the courtroom more than 60 years ago. Authors lending their insights to the program include Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give), Christopher Benson (Death of Innocence), John Edgar Wideman (Writing to Save a Life) and Michael Eric Dyson (Long Time Coming), who visits the scene of the crime for a special reading of his “Letter to Emmett Till.”
Jeanmarie Condon and Fatima Curry directed the series and exec produced for Cobble Hill Films and ABC News Studios, respectively. Additional exec producers on the project include Carter, Tyran Smith and Jay Brown for Roc Nation, Smith for Westbrook Studios, James Lassiter, and Kaplan for Kapital Entertainment. Grammy nominated record producer Salaam Remi composed its original soundtrack.
In Women of the Movement, which also debuts on the 6th, Tony Award winner Adrienne Warren will portray Mamie Till-Mobley, with Tonya Pinkins, Cedric Joe, Ray Fisher, Glynn Turman, Chris Coy, Carter Jenkins and Julia McDermott rounding out the cast.
For a sneak peek at Let The World See, unveiled today at ABC’s Winter TCA press conference, click on the video above.