Chicago Tribune

Blair Kamin: The national African-American museum still stirs the soul — and drops hints of what to expect at the Obama Presidential Center

WASHINGTON - The line to see the open casket that once held the tortured body of Emmett Till, the 14-year-old Chicagoan whose 1955 murder in Mississippi helped spark the civil rights movement, is long and moves oh-so-slowly. But scores of visitors to the National Museum of African American History and Culture still queue up.

The visitors file by, paying their respects, as though they were at the South Side's Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, where thousands gazed into this casket to see Till's mutilated face.

The display marks an emotional high point of the museum, which has drawn more than 3.5 million people since its Sept. 24, 2016,

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Chicago Tribune

Chicago Tribune9 min read
The O’Hare Rebuild Is Mired In Negotiations And Potential Changes. Here’s How Another Airport Finished Construction
A few years before Chicago reached an agreement with the city’s airlines to overhaul O’Hare International Airport, New York officials jump-started a rebuild of LaGuardia Airport. After years of discussion, planning and a design competition for the N
Chicago Tribune3 min read
Review: ‘The Wiz’ On Broadway Is Freshened Up And Ready For An Adoring Audience
NEW YORK — “Everybody look around,” they’re singing, festively, at the Marquis Theatre. “There’s reason to rejoice, you see.” For a lot of Broadway fans, especially Black audiences of a certain age, the return of the Super Soul Musical (it was the 19
Chicago Tribune4 min read
As Jameson Taillon Delivers A Win In His Season Debut, Cubs Rely On Resiliency During Challenging Start
CHICAGO — Eight seasons into his major league career hasn’t dissipated Chicago Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon’s pregame butterflies ahead of his season debut. A back injury interrupted his build-up process and sidelined him the entire spring exhib

Related Books & Audiobooks