ADC 1 of IL Craftworkers & Contractor Restore Till Home, National Civil Rights Monument

B AC ADC 1 of IL craftworkers completed the exterior restoration of a historic masonry building set to be a symbol of restorative justice: the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley House. Located in the South Side of Chicago, the two-story brick house built in 1895 was recently designated a landmark and national monument in recognition of the Till family’s story and legacy.

Emmett Till’s torture and murder at age 14 on a trip to the Mississippi Delta brought international attention to racial violence in 1955 and is often regarded as a catalyst of the Civil Rights movement. Till’s mother, Mamie, famously insisted on an open casket memorial, and press photographs of his maimed body moved many activists to take a stand, including the likes of Rosa Parks and John Lewis.

For Willie Douglas, organizer, instructor, and third generation tuckpointer at the ADC, being a part of the project is a career highlight. “I’m proud that Till’s legacy and this part of Chicago are getting the recognition they deserve. It’s very meaningful to be a part of something good coming from something tragic.”

The house is being converted into a museum that will tell the story of the Till family, and more broadly will educate visitors about the Great Migration, the mass movement of black Americans from the rural South to urban centers in the North during the mid-Twentieth Century.

Douglas has been helping to lead a group of volunteers, including PCC apprentices, to grind and repoint the brick façade, in conjunction with work performed by the minority-owned signatory contractor Oliver Construction Services.

For Douglas, Till’s story hits close to home — literally. His parents grew up a block from the house and they “couldn’t be prouder” of his involvement in the project.

Douglas reflected on the opportunities he’s been given to advance into leadership positions in the union — something that would make the Black craftworkers who came before him proud. “It’s incredible to be a part of something that sparked the Civil Rights movement,” he said, crediting ADC 1 of IL President Mike Volpentesta and Executive Vice President Hector Arellano for believing in him and supporting his growth in the union. “The people who came before me didn’t get these opportunities. I want to make my generation and family proud.”