Priscilla Williams-Till, cousin of Emmet Till launches senate bid in Mississippi
22nd September 2025 · 0 Comments
(Black Enterprise) — Priscilla Williams-Till, a cousin of Emmett Till and founder of the Emmett Till Justice for Families Foundation, has entered the 2026 U.S. Senate race in Mississippi, pledging to carry forward a legacy of civil rights and social justice. The election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026, with primaries set for March 10. Williams-Till announced her candidacy as a Democrat, challenging Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi Free Press reports.
“I am running for United States senator to help shape and enact laws that promote social justice and civil rights protections at a national level in Mississippi,” Williams-Till said in her campaign launch. “I want to ensure that the perspectives and needs of our communities are represented with the federal government contributing to Williams-Till’s family connection to Emmett Till – the 14-year-old boy whose brutal 1955 murder in Mississippi galvanized the civil rights movement – is central to her campaign. She said her work leading a foundation that advocates for federal accountability in hate crimes and racial justice cases has prepared her for this moment.Read More.
A Jackson native, Williams-Till is a graduate of Lanier Junior Senior High School, Jackson State University, and Belhaven University. She said she hopes to be a strong advocate for her community in Congress.
WILLIAMS-TILL
“My purpose for running for United States Senate (is that) I can influence the legal system by introducing laws that help shape legal interpretation that address systemic injustice, federal investigation into police departments, police reform or even discriminating zoning laws,” she told the Mississippi Free Press on Sept. 5.
This article originally published in the September 22, 2025 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
