National Trust for Historic Preservation: Return to home page

In August 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till left Chicago to visit family in the Mississippi Delta, where he was abducted and lynched on August 28. His murder might have gone unnoticed by the general public if not for the courage of Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till Mobley, who decided to “let the world see what I have seen” by holding an open-casket visitation and funeral for her son at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago.

Emmett’s murder shocked the conscience of the nation and illuminated the reality of racial violence in America. The proceeding trial of J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant for Emmett’s murder, held at the Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner, Mississippi, also demonstrated the injustice of the time. Even still, Mamie Till Mobley’s profound response in moments of unimaginable anguish galvanized the world to understand the plight of Black Americans in the South. These acts of heroism catalyzed the Civil Rights Movement, spurring Mamie to a lifelong fight for civil rights and social justice in honor of her son.

Understanding Our Present Through the Lens of Our Past

The historic sites connected to Emmett Till and Mamie Till Mobley’s story represent a pivotal moment in the history of the United States, including how local people and communities shaped the fight for equality.

We at the National Trust believe that by leveraging historic preservation to protect and interpret the sites tied to Emmett Till and Mamie Till Mobley, we hold a crucial opportunity to face a more complete truth, gain knowledge, and reckon with the parts of our past that are painful in order to process and heal.

Preserving the Sites Connected to Emmett Till and Mamie Till Mobley

The National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund has joined with local and national partners to document and preserve the remaining sites connected to this crucial history. These partners include the Till Family, Roberts Family, Emmett Till Interpretive Center, the Emmett Till and Mamie Till Mobley Institute, Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ (also listed as one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2020), National Parks Conservation Association, and Latham and Watkins LLP.

Since 2017, the Action Fund has invested nearly $500,000 in grant funding to:

• Chicago’s Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ to stabilize the historic church building;
• The Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, Mississippi, to expand programming and paid staff;
• The Emmett Till and Mamie Till Mobley House in Chicago to add staff and expand programming.

Through existing and new partnerships, the Action Fund will continue to increase its investment and provide specialized preservation expertise to ensure that Roberts Temple is restored and interpreted for local, national, and global audiences.

Stewarding in perpetuity the historic Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ and the Tallahatchie County Courthouse is profoundly important and will require public and private investment, as well as a long-term approach that ensures the protection, interpretation, and management of these exceptional historic assets.

Advocating for National Monument Designation

On Friday, October 21, 2022, Brent Leggs, Executive Director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and Senior Vice President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, shared remarks at a community meeting hosted by the U.S. Department of Interiors at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ. There, he urged President Biden to establish a site of conscience, memory, and justice to continue telling a fuller and more accurate American story.

We at the National Trust support President Biden in leveraging his authority under the Antiquities Act to create a national monument that memorializes the historic Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ and the Mississippi sites connected to Emmett Till and Mamie Till Mobley. Add your name to help preserve these sites.