Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument Receives Award for Federal Partnerships in Historic Preservation

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) and the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) today honored the campaign to designate sites in Mississippi and Illinois as the Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument with the National Trust/Advisory Council on Historic Preservation Award for Federal Partnerships in Historic Preservatio n. The event took place during the NTHP's annual PastForward Conference in New Orleans.

ACHP Chair Sara C. Bronin and National Trust Senior Vice President of Historic Sites Omar Eaton-Martinez presented the joint award, which honors outstanding partnerships that advance the preservation of important historic resources and have a positive impact on the community. It celebrates a project or program in which a federal agency and one or more nonfederal partners have achieved an exemplary preservation outcome. This year's award goes to the Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley Institute (Till Institute) in Chicago and the Emmett Till Interpretive Center (ETIC) in the Mississippi Delta.

In 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was visiting family in Mississippi when he entered a store and allegedly whistled at a white female store clerk. The Black youth was later kidnapped and murdered by the woman's enraged husband and brother-in-law. Till's funeral marked a turning point in America's understanding of racist violence, and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley worked to expose the brutality her son faced and highlight racial injustice, helping to inspire the modern civil rights movement.

"Every American owes a debt of gratitude to members of the Till families, the Till Institute, and the Emmett Till Interpretive Center for their courage and for their persistent leadership in advocating for the establishment of this National Monument," Chair Bronin said. "President Biden's designation of these sites recognizes that we have the obligation to remember and confront racism in its most horrific form, and to redouble our efforts to eradicate racism in all its forms."

In 2020, the Till Institute and the ETIC formed a coalition to lead a Till National Park Campaign featuring Roberts Temple (Chicago), the Tallahatchie County Courthouse (Sumner, MS), and Graball Landing (Glendora, MS). Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited these sites in 2022 and was moved to action. Working closely with the Department of the Interior, the Till Institute and ETIC supported the designation of the Till National Monument to preserve the sites in perpetuity.

President Joe Biden used his powers under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in July 2023, preserving these vital historic sites and memorializing the lives, legacies, and enduring impact of Emmett Till and his mother.

The Federal Partnerships award was one of 10 awards presented this year honoring those who excel in preservation.

"In our continued effort to celebrate the power of place, we gather at this PastForward Conference to honor some of the most effective leaders in the field of preservation," NTHP President and CEO Carol Quillen said. "Whether preserving and honoring African American burial grounds, or repurposing a former newspaper headquarters into a thriving downtown center, the efforts of our 2024 awardees have activated meaningful sites to serve the public good."