Neighbors shocked woman whose complaint led to Emmett Till’s death lived quietly nearby

WESTLAKE — Emmett Till was lynched as a child, and his horrific death sparked the nation’s move toward the Civil Rights era. Carolyn Bryant Donham, the woman whose accusation led to Till’s death, lived a long life that came to a quiet end last week — much to the surprise and disgust of some Calcasieu Parish residents.

Down a shady winding road on the outskirts of Westlake, a small group gathered outside Donham’s home Wednesday evening to hold a vigil in remembrance of the life of Emmett Till. Although there was a vehicle in the home’s driveway, no one came out.

Till was 14 years old when he was murdered on Aug. 28, 1955, after Donham claimed he made lewd remarks while they were inside a grocery store in Money, Mississippi. Three days later, Till’s body was found in the Tallahatchie River about 20 miles away.

Lake Charles resident and teacher Renee Carthan is related to Emmett Till through Mamie Carthan Till, Emmett’s mother. Renee’s great-great-grandfather was a cousin of John Nash Carthan, Mamie’s father.

“The Carthans were a tight-knit bunch and after that incident, everybody kind of spread out across the country,” Carthan told the group outside Donham’s home. “I have to wonder, as I stand here, if the trajectory of my life would have been different had this not happened.”

“To know that my whole life, these stories I was told and the cautions we were warned about, and this big bad wolf that kind of loomed over me and every other member of my family, just to end up a couple of miles down the road,” Carthan said. “I’ve been wrestling with that since this came out, and I honestly don’t know how to put my feelings into words.”

Calcasieu Parish property records show the home near Westlake was purchased April 20, 2023, by Thomas Bryant, Donham’s son. Carolyn Bryant Donham died April 25 under hospice care for long-standing kidney disease, according to a Calcasieu Parish Coroner’s report. She was 88.

It’s not known how long Donham had lived in the area, and those taking part in the vigil weren’t aware until recently she lived in Calcasieu Parish.

“My theory is since she knew the end was coming. She wanted to be here to be buried with her son,” Carthan told the Illuminator. Donham’s older son, Roy Bryant Jr., died in 1995 and is buried in nearby Vinton, where the Bryant family lived from the 1960s to 1973.

“It’s not just us who are emotional about this,” Carthan said. “To know that someone who could be capable of telling a lie so horrendous, and associating with people that would do something so brutal could live here safely and have a successful life in my backyard, when I see brilliant inspiring people struggle everyday, it’s a lot to wrestle with.”

Carthan said her relatives told her Emmett Till whistled at times to help his speech impediment.

“It wasn’t like he was whistling at (Donham),” she said. “For that to be construed that way was insane, but even now that has evolved.”

In an interview that aired earlier Wednesday on Lake Charles radio station KZWA-FM, Westlake Mayor Hal McMillin stressed that Donham did not live within his city’s limits.

“We would all hate to know that she was in southwest Louisiana at all,” McMillin said “This is a very tragic thing that happened back in 1955. This is 2023 now and I am thrilled at our culture now. I want to tell you a little about Westlake, we are a melting pot.”

McMillin was unable to attend the Wednesday evening vigil.

“But my heart will be there,” he said in the radio interview, “because I care about our community, and I care about things getting healed up. I just hate old scabs that you have almost healed over and you’re trying to grow and things are developing better, then she ends up in our area. I don’t want her in our area, I don’t want her to stain southwest Louisiana.”

Roishetta Ozane, executive director of the Vessel Project and co-organizer of the vigil, typically hosts events on environmental justice. She said she hoped the vigil outside Donham’s home could provide some level of closure.

“We’re never going to be able to see justice served to her,” Ozane told attendees. ”The ultimate justice is that she’s no longer here. People are going to remember Emmett Till forever.”

Ozane questioned McMillin’s claim that Westlake is a melting pot.

“No, racism is still happening, Hal,” Ozane said. “I don’t know what you don’t see. Westlake schools are predominantly white, all of the teachers are white. The (Black) kids don’t have anybody to identify with. What can we take from this?”

Ozane’s daughter, Kameah, 10, was also present at the vigil.

“I’m here for Emmett Till,” Kameah Ozane said. “It’s sad because she lied about how Emmett Till whistled at her. They took his life and she got to live here peacefully.”

Calcasieu resident and civil rights attorney Pam Spees also took part in the vigil. She wasn’t raised with knowledge of Emmett Till, she said, but remembers the shock when she learned as an adult about his death.

“I feel a responsibility to people and the world and feel that this has brought Emmett closer to here,” Spees said “….We are living in a moment where there are forces trying to tear away this history to make sure that nobody else learns about it. That’s why it’s important to be here in this place and to honor Emmett Till’s memory.”

Carthan told the Illuminator there is some sense of closure and justice after the passing of Carolyn Bryant Donham.

“I remember being told not to leave the porch, not to leave the yard when I was younger,” she said. “Once I got older, I understood more and resolved that I would not let this control me. I am proud to say that I am from the same bloodline that inspired the strength of Mamie Till. The things that she did in the face of that situation is huge.”

The vigil closed with a prayer, amid murmurings the group should leave the area before sundown.

Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com. Follow Louisiana Illuminator on Facebook and Twitter.