Yes, Carolyn Bryant Donham is alive in 2020. She is now 85 years old and living in rural Mississippi. Donham was thrust into international spotlight in 1955 when a 14-year-old African American boy named Emmett Till was brutally murdered after whistling at her.
The Life and Times of Carolyn Bryant Donham
Carolyn Bryant Donham was born in 1934 in Mississippi, the oldest of five children. She married Roy Bryant in 1949 and the couple had two children. In 1955, Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam were accused of murdering Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African-American who had whistled at Donham in a store.
Emmett Till’s Murder and the Impact
The murder of Emmett Till had a profound impact on the civil rights movement in the United States. Till’s mother Mamie Till Bradley insisted on an open casket funeral, allowing people to see the horrific injuries her son had endured. Images of Till’s body were widely circulated, sparking outrage.
The Trial of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam
Bryant and Milam were arrested and put on trial for murder, however, Donham’s testimony was ruled inadmissible during the trial and the all-white jury acquitted the two men. Donham would later testify to a grand jury and the men were indicted.
The Aftermath and Present Day
In 2007, Donham gave an interview to author Timothy Tyson in which she admitted that her testimony of Till making physical advances on her were false. Donham has since kept a low profile and is now living in rural Mississippi. She is 85 years old in 2020.
Conclusion:
Carolyn Bryant Donham is still alive in 2020. Her false testimony and the murder of Emmett Till had an immense impact on civil rights in the United States and will not soon be forgotten. Donham has since kept a low profile and is now living in rural Mississippi where she is 85 years old.