Change.org - Emmett Till house

Black leaders like Emmett Till, Muddy Waters, Phyllis Wheatley have changed American history and culture. But a proposed law in Chicago could make it harder to create “house museums” honoring their lives. Preservation Chicago is working to stop this law. They want to make sure Black leaders’ legacies are respected. Sign their petition to support museums that honor important historical leaders. REJECT the Ordinance that would Block the Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley House Museum! 12,780 have signed Preservation Chicago, NFP: Love your City Fiercely!’s petition. Let’s get to 15,000!

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Powerful political forces have been working in the shadows to draft an ordinance to prohibit new house museums in Chicago’s residential neighborhoods. This ordinance would prevent many stories, and especially African-American and other traditionally underrepresented stories, from being told in the places and spaces where history was made. If approved, the impact would be devastating for over 20 emerging house museums and cultural centers across Chicago. They include: The Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley Home - which achieved Chicago Landmark status after a multi-year effort to save it. It was purchased by a local nonprofit to create a museum to honor Emmett’s memory and to recognize the fierce bravery of Mamie Till-Mobley whose actions helped to spark the Civil Rights Movement. The MOJO Muddy Waters House Museum - which plans to turn Muddy’s South Side Chicago home into a blues museum. It would celebrate his legendary contributions to blues music which emerged from the Great Migration and would forever change music in America and around the world. The National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum expansion - which celebrates and honors the legacy of the Pullman Porters and the important role African-Americans played in shaping America’s labor movement. The Lu Palmer Mansion - which is on the verge of being purchased and converted into The Obsidian Collection museum and library, an archive of Black journalism.  The Phyllis Wheatley House - which is the last standing African-American settlement house in Chicago, and served African-American women for 50 years during the Great Migration. We STRONGLY OPPOSE any legislative maneuvers that seek to block the establishment of Chicago neighborhood house museums. Now is the time to recognize, honor and protect the many important contributions of African-Americans and traditionally underrepresented communities to Chicago. House museums are powerful vehicles for protecting the history and telling the stories of those who have come before us.  House museums amplify the voices of those who have not been heard. These voices have been silenced for far too long.   LET THESE VOICES BE HEARD! Please sign this petition.  This petition will be presented at the Chicago City Council Zoning Committee on March 23, 2021 with a demand that the proposed ordinance be rejected. Read more at: "Emmett Till childhood home now an official city landmark," in The Chicago Sun-Times https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/2021/1/27/22252911/chicago-city-council-approves-landmark-status-emmett-till-home-south-side "A Push to Save Landmarks of the Great Migration, in The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/a-push-to-save-landmarks-of-the-great-migration--and-better-understand-todays-racial-inequities/2021/03/12/c510ceb0-7b88-11eb-85cd-9b7fa90c8873_story.html "Legacy of Muddy Waters to Live On at MOJO Museum," on WTTW Chicago https://news.wttw.com/2021/01/19/legacy-muddy-waters-live-mojo-museum "In Bronzeville, A Push To Preserve Historic Lu Palmer Mansion — And Chicago’s Black Media Legacy," in Block Club Chicago  https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/03/03/in-bronzeville-a-push-to-preserve-historic-lu-palmer-mansion-and-chicagos-black-media-legacy/ "Owner, supporters fight to save historic Phyllis Wheatley Club and Home from city demolition block", in The Chicago Sun-Times  https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/2/23/22296062/owner-supporters-fight-to-save-historic-phyllis-wheatley-home-from-city-demolition-block "Pullman Porter Museum celebrates 25th anniversary, connects lessons of the past to challenges of the present" on ABC 7 Chicago  https://abc7chicago.com/pullman-porter-black-history-month-porters-chicago/5901253/

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