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 Tribune3 min read
Commentary: We Are Seeing A Lethal Shift In America’s Gun Violence Crisis
While gun violence declined last year, a closer look at the data reveals a striking and surprising trend. While the total number of shootings is going down, the lethality of shootings — the odds of someone dying in a shooting — seems to be going up.
Chicago Tribune4 min readAmerican Government
Editorial: Looming Battle Over Social Security And Medicare Needs Reasoned Debate
The rhetorical war between the right and the left over the future of America’s safety net programs for its seniors is getting hotter as the presidential election nears. The latest trigger was a set of recommendations by the Republican Study Conferenc
Chicago Tribune3 min read
Review: 'Water For Elephants' Is One Of The Most Authentic Circus-themed Shows To Make It To Broadway
“Water for Elephants,” the new musical based on the 2006 Sara Gruen novel and the 2011 movie with Reese Witherspoon, has one of the more remarkable ensembles ever seen on Broadway. I’ve seen a hundred shows where actors try to do tricks, or forge a c

Related Books & Audiobooks