Loyola University Chicago Announces Scholarship Honoring Alumna Mamie Till-Mobley

CHICAGO – October 18, 2022

Loyola University Chicago has announced the establishment of a scholarship honoring Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till and a 1971 graduate of the University’s Graduate School of Education. 

In 1955, Till’s abduction and murder in Mississippi shocked the nation and catalyzed Mamie’s life into one of courageous activism and transformative education. Until her death in 2003, Till-Mobley worked toward her wish for “Emmett’s name to stand for healing, reconciliation, forgiveness, and hope.” 

Sponsored by Loyola’s Black Alumni Board (BAB), the Mamie Till-Mobley (MEd ’71) Scholarship will continue her legacy of service to the youth of Chicago and the cause of justice for Black children everywhere by supporting a Chicagoland high school graduate who has been recognized for their engagement with the Black community through leadership or community service. 

“The goal of the Mamie Till-Mobley Scholarship is to increase the enrollment of students from the Chicagoland area and to help the community see how a single selfless act amid tremendous personal pain can transform an individual and a movement. Mamie’s courage illuminated the racism and injustice in our society that we are still working to address today,” said Karen Fleshman (MBA ’99), President of the Black Alumni Board. 

The BAB will celebrate the official scholarship announcement with a luncheon and speaking program on Friday, October 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Union League Club of Chicago moderated by Dominique Jordan Turner, Loyola’s first Vice President for Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The date has special significance thanks to an official proclamation recently issued by Mayor Lorie E. Lightfoot declaring October 21, 2022 as Mamie Till-Mobley Day in Chicago. 

Honored guests will include Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr., cousin and last living witness to Emmett Till’s abduction; Melody Spann Cooper (BS ’88), President and Chairman of Midway Broadcasting Corporation, which includes the oldest Black-oriented radio station in Chicago; and Jeff Beckham, acrylic artist and CEO for Chicago Scholars. 

“This scholarship will serve as permanent recognition of Mamie Till-Mobley’s connection to Loyola and a fitting remembrance of her role as a spokesperson for justice. Mamie Till-Mobley’s legacy is reflective of the Black excellence that permeates throughout the Loyola community and generations of Loyola students will be called to emulate her courage, wisdom, creativity, and resolute determination,” said Jordan Turner. 

The BAB Mamie Till-Mobley Scholarship follows Loyola’s continued work in increasing access to education and countering past inequities, including a recent $100M gift from John and Kathy Schreiber to fund full scholarships, room and board, and an array of comprehensive support services for aspiring Black, Latino, first generation, and other ethnically and racially diverse students who are historically underrepresented in higher education.

The initial fundraising goal for the the BAB Mamie Till-Mobley Scholarship has been met and the first scholarship will be awarded to a student in fall 2024. To make a gift toward endowing a full-tuition scholarship in Mamie Till-Mobley’s memory, click here.

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About Loyola University Chicago
Founded in 1870, Loyola University Chicago is one of the nation’s largest Jesuit, Catholic universities, with nearly 17,500 students. The University has four campuses: three in the greater Chicago area and one in Rome, Italy, as well as a course location in Vernon Hills, Illinois (Cuneo Mansion and Gardens), and a Retreat and Ecology Campus in Woodstock, Illinois. The University features 15 schools, colleges, and institutes. Ranked a top national university by U.S. News & World Report, Loyola is also among a select group of universities recognized for community service and engagement by prestigious national organizations including AmeriCorps and the Carnegie Foundation. To learn more about Loyola, visit LUC.edu or follow us on Twitter via @LoyolaChicago.