The Great Migration Greenway
What We’re Doing
Preserving land around the home of Emmett Till to heal from and honor a pivotal time in America’s history.
Our Goal
Strengthen a connection to our nation’s shared heritage.
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Emmett Till House
The Emmett Till home on the South Side of Chicago is one of the centerpieces of the Great Migration Greenway. To keep Till’s memory alive, community members, including Blacks in Green, came together to save his childhood home from demolition. Trust for Public Land drew on contributions from our Equitable Communities Fund and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to help purchase additional properties near the home.
Mamie Till-Mobley Forgiveness GardenThrough our partnership with L.L.Bean and Timberland, we’ve helped make improvements to the Mamie Till-Mobley Forgiveness Garden, which invites residents and visitors to heal from decades of painful racism and honor Emmett Till’s mother, a courageous activist in her own right. The garden will serve as an anchor for a series of 16 gardens that pay homage to luminaries of the Great Migration from Mississippi to Chicago, such as the poet Gwendolyn Brooks and the playwright Lorraine Hansberry.
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Emmett Till house: Woodlawn childhood home officially a Chicago landmark
55 W. Monroe St. Suite
Suite 3360
Chicago, IL, 60603
(312) 750-9820
chicago@tpl.org
(312) 750-9820
caroline.oboyle@tpl.org