CHICAGO – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined local leaders in honoring Emmett Till, on what would’ve been his 84th birthday, and celebrating the completion of Phase One restorations at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ. The historic Bronzeville church—the site of Till’s open-casket funeral 70 years ago this summer—was designated as a national monument by President Biden in 2023 after continued efforts and leadership by Duckworth in Congress. Photos from today’s event are available on Senator Duckworth’s website.
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“In a time when the stories of Black Americans are being erased from history books and government websites—and when the term equity is treated like a slur—Mamie and Emmett’s stories don’t just need to be preserved, they need to be shouted from the rooftops,” Duckworth said. “I was proud to lead the charge in Congress for this national designation and to visit Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ today, on what should be Emmett’s 84th birthday, to see the progress being made on the restorations. Ensuring generations to come can enter this space and feel the spirit of Mamie’s heartache and bravery is paramount to honor and respect the Till family’s legacy.”
Duckworth’s leadership has been critical in the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ site designation. Duckworth originally introduced the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley, and Roberts Temple National Historic Site Act in 2021 and reintroduced the legislation in 2023. Duckworth was joined by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) in reintroducing the bipartisan legislation. In June 2023, President Biden officially designated Bronzeville’s Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ as a national monument to be managed by the U.S. National Park Service. In addition, the Till family—including Reverend Wheeler Parker Jr. and Dr. Marvel Parker—the Roberts Temple congregation, and community members have been unwavering advocates alongside Duckworth in the effort to establish this site as a national monument, and they continue to carefully oversee the ongoing restoration process.
A Chicagoan, Emmett’s funeral was held at the Roberts Temple Church after the 14-year-old was brutalized and lynched in Mississippi in 1955. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, made the brave decision to have her son’s funeral as a public, open-casket wake. The wake was attended by thousands and sparked international discourse over his killing and racist violence in America and is cited as one of the catalysts for the Civil Rights Movement. In 2020, the site was one of the most endangered historic sites in the U.S., according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Upon completion, the monument will include three sites across Illinois and Mississippi, with the Illinois location being Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Bronzeville. The Mississippi locations are Graball Landing, believed to be where Till’s mutilated body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River and the Tallahatchie County second district courthouse in Sumner, where Till’s killers were tried and acquitted by an all-white, all-male jury.
Duckworth has made elevating disenfranchised communities and their stories one of her main priorities while in Congress. While working with the U.S. Department of interior closely to designate Roberts Temple as a national monument, she is also working to preserve and uplift other stories critical to our country’s history, including the 1908 Springfield Race Riot National Historic Site that was designated as a national monument last summer under President Biden.
