August 28, 2024
- More: African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund
- By: Shayla Martin
In 1922, Bishop William Roberts and his deacons hand-laid the foundational bricks of Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ’s permanent home at 4021 South State Street in Chicago, Illinois. As the city’s Black population swelled over the following decades during the Great Migration, Roberts Temple became a home for newcomers seeking community and connection. By 1944, a remodel increased the church’s capacity by 50 percent, including both north and south-side balconies overlooking the sanctuary.
In 1955, the church would fill to capacity with mourners for the funeral of Emmett Till, the 14-year old young man who left Chicago to visit family in Mississippi, never to return home alive. He was kidnapped and brutally lynched, and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley insisted on an open casket so the world could see the savage cruelty inflicted on her son. The moment cemented Roberts Temple as a collective mourning place for those affected by Till’s murder, and established the church as an integral site of the Civil Rights Movement.
photo by: Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ
A Living Monument
Roberts Temple continues to stand as a monument to both the history of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) and the Civil Rights Movement, and continued to serve as a sacred place for its active congregation. President Joe Biden included the church as part of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument designation in 2023, and it is now a National Parks Service site. Today, the National Trust's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and its key partners are working with the congregation to restore the building to its 1955 appearance, while ensuring it continues to serve worshipers and future visitors alike.
photo by: Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ
photo by: Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ
The Action Fund has provided technical preservation support and $750,000 in critical grant funding to aid in preserving and restoring Roberts Temple as an American landmark over the next three years. For 2024, the focus is on the church’s exterior facade, and the team has already stripped 1990s era masonry to reveal the 1955-era brick facade. It was during this removal process that a time capsule from 1992 was discovered, filled with photos, newspaper clippings and prayers from church members.
Envisioning the Future
Year two is focused on plans for the interior of the sanctuary, and Roberts Temple and the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Institute are working with Boston-based MASS Design Group to gather oral histories from church members who were present for Till’s funeral and during the Civil Rights era. MASS Design outlined a four-part community engagement process of in-person sessions that began at the start of 2024, and are creating a collective memory bank that will inform the design and development phases of the work.
“One thing people reflected on is the importance of this history not being forgotten and the understanding that people's lived experiences are just as important, if not more critical than what was recorded at the time,”said Jah Amazi, principal, Public Memory & Memorials Lab for MASS Design Group. “Being able to engage now with people who were there then is a very important part of protecting and maintaining this history, particularly as we talk about memorialization and creating national monuments.”
Their intimate memories are directly constructing the church’s future. For example, many members recalled that the balcony was the place to be for young church members back in the day, so restoring it now is a top priority. Their recollections are also helping to visualize what the church experience will be like for a wide variety of future visitors, from the congregation and local community members to international and national visitors coming to better understand the church’s role in the Civil Rights Movement and beyond.
photo by: Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ
“I think when people talk about Robert's Temple, they only understand it as the church where Emmett Till's funeral services were held, but these members know it as the place where they grew up and want to help broaden the narrative of the church,” Amazi said.
More than a Time Capsule
Additional community engagement sessions centered on educational programming and Roberts Temple’s role as part of the larger COGIC church, all with the intention to cement it as an anchor in Chicago’s Southside community once again. The final session will be held in September and will enable attendees to review the floor plans for a potential cafe, community rooms, and offices within the space.
photo by: Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ
For Sharon Roberts Walker, granddaughter of Bishop William Roberts, the hope is that people will understand Roberts Temple as not only the church where Emmett Till's funeral services were held, but also as the place where parents were married, children were baptized, and where people had Sunday dinner with their neighbors. “What we hope to continue to offer is a place to worship, a place to call home and a place that you will come in and won't be turned away,” said Walker. “That’s what we've been doing for over a hundred years before I was even thought of. We’ve always been a welcoming place to come to get whatever it is that you need.”
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Shayla Martin is a 2024 African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund Editorial Fellow. She is an award-winning travel and culture journalist based in Washington, D.C. whose work has been featured in The New York Times, Architectural Digest, Coastal Living, Hemispheres, Veranda Magazine. She specializes in content about Black history and culture, luxury travel, historic preservation, wellness, interior design and personal narrative topics, and is the founder of The Road We Trod, a bi-weekly newsletter that explores travel destinations through the Black gaze.
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