Priscilla Williams Till
- Till is expected to announce her gubernatorial run at an event at Jackson State that features a bevy of racially motivated groups, including the Black Panther Movement, Nation of Islam, Afrodescendant Nation, the NAACP and more.
Priscilla Williams Till, cousin of Emmett Till, is set to announce a run for Governor of Mississippi next week at a “Justice on the Line” conference in Jackson.
Till is a former educator and founder of the Emmett Till Justice for Families Foundation. She is the cousin of Emmett Till whose 1955 murder in Mississippi helped spark the civil rights movement. Till now refers to herself often as a Human and Civil Rights Activist.
Till enters the gubernatorial race after an unsuccessful bid to be the Democratic Party’s nominee for U.S. Senate this year. She came in second to Lowndes County District Attorney Scott Colom in the three-person Democrat Primary in March, pulling in just under 19% of the vote.
During her brief Senate campaign, Till was only able to raise $8,500, according to campaign finance filings with the Federal Election Commission. No state campaign finance reports or organizing documentation is listed with the Secretary of State’s office as of this reporting.
Since her failed run for federal office, Till’s social media activity has been focused on spreading racially charged posts, some of which that allege systemic racism in schools, promote “Stop the killing by law enforcement,” and that say “Deer hunting season is not just deer hunting season” while adding it is “black and brown hunting season.”
Till has also shared other posts alleging the “lynching” of black people in Mississippi, presumably at the hands of white persons, despite proof to the contrary.
The conference, set for October 2 at Jackson State University, where Till is expected to announce her gubernatorial run is being sponsored by Black Lawyers for Justice and Mississippi Local Organizing Committee.
The event’s flyer notes a bevy of racially motivated groups that will be in attendance, including the Black Panther Movement, Nation of Islam, Afrodescendant Nation, the NAACP and more.
Also notably listed to be in attendance are the parents of Nolan Wells, the black Ocean Springs teen whose death has become a rallying cry for these racially motivated groups. Wells’ parents’ attorney Ben Crump, who Al Sharpton has referred to as “black America’s Attorney General,” has also been invited to appear.
State Rep. Fabian Nelson (D) is also listed among the participants as are Kareem Muhammad, John Barnett, Patrick Lumumba, Ishmael Muhammad, Mr. Son of Man, and supporters of various “suspected lynching victims,” among others.
Another flyer for the event depicts AI images of Till going head-to-head with Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R) in the gubernatorial race, similar to what would be seen in a boxing match promotional flyer. Emmett Till’s face is shown on the flyer accompanying Priscilla Till.
Fitch, a Republican, announced her bid for governor this summer, joining what could be a crowded GOP field. Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson and former Speaker of the House Philip Gunn are also in the Republican Primary field, with others likely to jump in later this year.
Till’s entry into the governor’s race would be the first Democrat to officially announce statewide intentions should she run under the party’s label. It is speculated that former Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley, who ran unsuccessfully in 2023, will make another run for governor in 2027. There are also rumors that a former Democratic governor could be exploring a return to office.
