COMMENTARY

Worthy civil rights cause struggles to find funding

In cases of murder, the passage of time is crucial.

Let too much pass and witnesses disperse, forget details or die. Victims’ families grow despondent as their hope for justice wanes. And worst of all, someone gets away with murder.

So you might think that Alvin Sykes is a desperate man these days. He knows that each passing day is another lost in his nearly decade-long crusade to solve civil rights era murders.

He’s already done what few could fathom, helping persuade federal and Mississippi officials to reopen one of the best-known cases, the 1955 beating death of 14-year-old Emmett Till.

Last year he did what many a high-paid lobbyist seeks to accomplish — he got Congress to pass a bill pressing federal officials into the effort of solving the old crimes before witnesses and suspects die.

Now, he’s persuaded Attorney General Eric Holder to meet with him to set in motion the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act.

But Sykes can’t get to D.C. He’s a man with a worthy cause but no money. He’s trying to sell T-shirts — “T’s for Justice” — to raise money. Sykes needs a benefactor.

Ever the savvy newsmaker, Sykes hopes to bring along surviving family members of better-known cases. Wheeler Parker is on the list of about a dozen people. Parker, now living in Chicago, is the older cousin Till was visiting in Mississippi. He’s a preacher and a barber.

Parker and another cousin, Simeon Wright, are among the few people who recall Till’s final days and can talk about the wolf whistle they heard Till give the white lady running the store they entered. They remember the night men took Till from his bed and have lived with the mysteries surrounding the murder.

The meeting with Holder has already been delayed once due to lack of funds. July 14 is the new date.

The Urban League of Greater Kansas City has taken Sykes’ nonprofit, the Emmett Till Justice Campaign, under its wing. President and CEO Gwen Grant is pressing her contacts for donations, as are area ministers. But times are lean.

Grant thinks the National Urban League could play a role in community forums to encourage cooperation with law enforcement.

But for now, the immediate hurdle is getting Sykes and the other family members to D.C.

After all, no one can stop the passage of time. There’s only the matter of putting it to good use.

To reach Mary Sanchez, call 816-234-4752 or send e-mail to msanchez@kcstar.com.