A groundbreaking for the Emmett Till House Museum was held this week along with the establishment of a national monument in his honor across the South Side. The museum will be located at 6247 S St. Lawrence Avenue in West Woodlawn, while the multi-state monument will include the Roberts Temple Church Of God in Christ at 4021 S State Street in Bronzeville. Both projects are expected to educate a wider audience of Till’s story and promote development of the surrounding areas.
View of Roberts Temple Church Of God in Christ via Chicago Landmarks
Till was a Chicago teen who was tortured and murdered by white supremacist in 1955 at the age of 14 in Mississippi. Till was on a trip to the south that summer visiting family when he was accused of making advances on a woman whose relatives then abducted Till, they acquitted of their charges soon after though they later on admitted their crimes in a magazine. The federal case came to a close in 2021 with no persecutions, followed by the state declining to prosecute the woman in 2022.
Interior view of Roberts Temple Church Of God in Christ via WBEZ
Now on what would have been his 82nd birthday, the White House has established the three-site national monument including two others in Mississippi. The Chicago site held his funeral put on by his mom Mamie Till-Mobley who requested the open casket viewing, reigniting the Civil Rights movement. Joining this is the site where his body was discovered and the court house where the original trial took place, rounding out the official Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument.
Proposed scope and funding of the Emmett Till House by the Department of Planning and Development
On the same day, a groundbreaking was held for the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley House Museum, an $11 million project by local organization Blacks In Green. Work will begin with an extensive facade restoration by architect Ed Torres of the 1895-built home, this will eventually lead to a renovation of the interior to include a museum space, garden, and community performance theater. The work will be mostly funded by an Adopt-a-Landmark Fund and a grant from the EPA, construction is set to be complete by 2025.
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This is wonderful! Long overdue.
You really need to edit/proofread your post here. Lots of grammatical errors.
Anyhow, I’m glad that this project is happening.
The address of the museum is 6427 not 6247.