The Jury Test is derived from the Volume II Sex & Race In America. In this chapter we discuss the similarities between the Emmett Till and O.J. Simpson trials. The verdict of these trials are exactly 40 years and 10 days apart (the Emmett Till Verdict September 23rd 1955 and The O.J. Simpson Verdict October 3rd 1995). About every 40 years there's a racial earthquake which exposes the great Racial Divide. These racial earthquakes always create a huge crevice that finds Blacks standing on one side, and Whites standing on the other. There have been Racial trimmers between the major quakes, things like riots and assassinations, but the Race-quakes seem to be on a 40 year cycle. You've got a toss-up between Jack Johnson winning the Heavyweight title in 1910 (and the nation-wide Race riots that followed), and the release of D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation in 1915. 1877 gave us the end of Reconstruction, and 1831 gave us the infamous Nat Turner Revolt. Each of these events exposed the great Racial Divide, and also had a profound impact on Race relations and Race perceptions during their respective time periods. The Jury Test gives you the reader a chance to create a racial earthquake or prevent a racial earthquake.

Getting Started What is your race? Black White Other What is your sex? Male Female Other

Read the following information about the 2 trials

Emmett Till O.J. Simpson Pre-Trial Conditions Local stores, gas stations, dry cleaners, and other businesses collected $10,000 DOLLAR$ in counter top jars, to fund the defense for Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam. That's a lot of money considering this was 1955 rural Mississippi. The majority of Whites felt Roy and J.W. were innocent. The majority of Blacks felt Roy and J.W. were guilty. Law Enforcement & The N-Word Sheriff H.C. Strider stated before the trial: "I'd like for the NAACP, or any colored organization anywhere to know that we are here giving all parties a free trial. and intend to give a fair and impartial trial. and we don't need the help of the NAACP. and we don't intend for them to help us. We never have any trouble.. until some of our Southern 'Niggers' go up north, and the NAACP talks to them, and they come back home." Similar Evidence   Famous Handwear Emmett Till was identified by his deceased fathers ring which he wore at the time of his murder.   Not-so Famous Handwear J.W. Milam - "For three hours that morning we had a big old fire in the yard. Damn if that Nigger didn't have crepe sole shoes. Do you know how hard they are to burn?" This is from J.W. Milam's confession to Look magazine which detailed how he and Roy destroyed evidence. Closing Arguments of The Defense Team "I want you to tell me where.under God's shining sun.. is the land of the free and the home of the brave? If you don't turn these boys loose.your forefathers will absolutely turn over in their graves!" Defense Attorney J.W. Kellum "There are people in the United States who want to destroy the customs of Southern people.They would not be above putting a rotting, stinking body in the river in the hope he would be identified as Emmett Till. I'm sure that every last Anglo-Saxon one of you has the courage to free these men in the face of that pressure!" Defense Attorney John W. Whitten Jr. Length of Jury Deliberations 67 minutes. One of the jury members stated: "It would've been even shorter but we stopped to drink some pop." Post Trial Comments "What I saw was a shame before God and man. The way the jury chose to believe the ridiculous stories of the defense attorneys.I just can't go into detail to tell you the stupid things, the silly things that were brought up as probabilities, and they swallowed it like a fish swallows a hook. Just any thing.any excuse.to acquit those two men." Mamie Till Pre-Trial Conditions The majority of Whites felt O.J. was guilty. The majority of Blacks felt O.J. was innocent. Law Enforcement & The N-Word Detective Marc Furman, from the 'Furman Tapes': "You see a 'Nigger' in a Porsche and he doesn't have a $ 100 dollar suit on, then you stop him because he has probably stolen the car." Similar Evidence   Famous Handwear The infamous bloody gloves   Not-so Famous Handwear Simpson- "I don't have any ugly ass shoes like that." This was O.J.'s denial of owning a key piece of evidence. Pictures of O.J. wearing the Bruno Magli shoes (that matched foot prints at the crime scene) would later surface during his Civil Trial. Closing Arguments of The Defense Team "Furman wants to take all Black people and burn them. That's genocidal racism. Maybe this is one of the reasons we're all gathered together here this day. Maybe there's a reason for your purpose? Maybe this is why you were selected? There's something in your background, or in your character, that helps you understand this is wrong. Maybe you're the right people, at the right time, at the right place, to say no more!" Defense Attorney Johnnie Cochran Length of Jury Deliberations 210 minutes Post Trial Comments "He (Johnnie Cochran) suggest that racism ought to be the most important thing that anyone of us ought to listen to in this court. That anyone of us in this nation should be listening to. And it's because of racism we should put aside all other thought, all other reason.and set his murdering client free!" Fred Goldman

Feel free to become a member of either jury and render your verdict. Now remember, by rendering a guilty verdict you could change the course of history. Emmett Till Jury Guilty Not Guilty O.J. Jury Guilty Not Guilty