As Ravens players walked one-by-one past the casket of 14-year-old African American Emmett Till, stopping to peer inside at a gruesome photo reminder of our nation’s violent history, they acted as if they were transported back to his funeral in 1955.
Hands were clasped in front of their waist. Silence was interrupted only by an occasional sniffle.
The Ravens became the NFL’s first team to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., and it was clear that their visit will have a lasting effect.
“We’re here because we should be here,” Head Coach John Harbaugh said.