In the decades since the murder of Emmett Tills, which served as a crucial turning point for the civil rights movement when his funeral photos shocked the world, people have speculated about his alleged “white girlfriend.”

Over six decades later, she claims to have been found, and she just gave her first ever interview.

Joan Brody was Till’s classmate. Here’s what you need to know.

1. Brody Sat Next to Till in Class & Is in a Picture With Till

During the trial of Till’s killers, Carolyn Bryant, the white woman who testified that Till had wolf-whistled at her (she has since recanted her testimony), said that Till had grabbed her waist and told her he’d had sex with white women in the past.

Brody contested this allegation to the Clarion Ledger, saying, “He wasn’t a smart-alecky kid. He wasn’t a person to smart off to a white woman or any woman.”

5. Brody Has Since Said That Till ‘Could Have Been President’

When asked about the murder, Brody reportedly choked up and said that “nobody deserves what they did to him.”

She added, “He had his whole life ahead of him — to be gone just like that. And for what reason? He could have been president. He was just a nice kid with a nice smile.”