THE COALITION OF BLACK HOUSE MUSEUMS
THE WHO AND THE WHY
ADVOCACY | PRESERVATION | LEGACY
We are The Coalition of Black House Museums, an Urban Historic Preservation Advocacy Group that works to prevent the destruction of real estate and the extinction of events, actions and lives that are important to underserved communities around the United States.
We are a collective of historic landmarks in the city of Chicago, IL that seek to celebrate the change agents that once inhabited our neighborhoods. We strive to preserve the tangible, living experience of those who paved the way in both suffering and success for the benefit of us all. To maintain it's historic intention, this coalition is comprised of African American, female leadership. Please review the information below to learn more about the trailblazing museums within this organization
The National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum is a 501(c) 3 cultural institution. Our mission is to promote, honor and celebrate the legacy of A. Philip Randolph, Pullman Porters, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and contributions made by African-Americans to America’s labor movement; with a significant focus on the African American Railroad Employee.
The permanent collection displays exhibits which are pertinent to the study of the African- American contribution to America’s labor history and includes but is not limited to: the Pullman Company, as it relates to the labor history of African American Railroad employees, A. Philip Randolph, the Pullman Porters, the brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the Great Migration, and the American Civil Rights Movement.
10406 S. Maryland Ave
Chicago, IL 60628
Founder, A. Phillip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum
Dr. Lyn Hughes
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The National A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum is a 501(c) 3 cultural institution. Our mission is to promote, honor and celebrate the legacy of A. Philip Randolph, Pullman Porters, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and contributions made by African-Americans to America’s labor movement; with a significant focus on the African American Railroad Employee. The permanent collection displays exhibits which are pertinent to the study of the African- American contribution to America’s labor history and includes but is not limited to: the Pullman Company, as it relates to the labor history of African American Railroad employees, A. Philip Randolph, the Pullman Porters, the brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the Great Migration, and the American Civil Rights Movement.
Headin10406 S. Maryland Ave
Chicago, IL 60628
This historical Chicago Landmark at 4339 South Lake Park Avenue belonged to McKinley Morganfield, known professionally as Muddy Waters – the father of modern Chicago blues. It was the first house he had ever purchased. When the blues legend moved to Chicago from the South, it became a home away from home. It soon turned into a gathering place for Muddy, other blues musicians, and entertainers. They would host jam sessions in the basement, creating music that we all enjoy to this day. The museum would be a way to educate youth from both Chicago and surrounding suburbs on the importance of blues education.
4339 S Lake Park Avenue
Chicago, IL 60653
BIG is converting the childhood home of Civil Rights martyr Emmett Till into a net-zero-energy museum, community theater, and heritage tourism hub that tells the story of the Great Migration of millions of Black people from the rural South to northern cities, as seen through the eyes of the Till-Mobley family. The museum’s grand opening is scheduled for 2025, when the Obama Presidential Center opens. Emmett Till was a 14-year-old Black child visiting Mississippi relatives in the summer of 1955 when he was tortured and shot by white racists. His mother’s decision to open his casket for his funeral and allow photographers to document his murderers’ brutality galvanized the Civil Rights movement. Out of unspeakable tragedy grew a triumphant force that changed the nation.
6427 S. St. Lawrence Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637
Phillis Wheatley was a poet who lived from approximately 1753 to 1784, becoming the first English-speaking person of African descent to publish a book. She was also the second woman and author to be published in America. While enslaved, she traveled to England, meeting with royalty and dignitaries there. She also had connections with George Washington, John Paul Jones, Benjamin Franklin, and John Hancock. After her emancipation in 1773, she lived the remainder of her years as a free woman, later marrying John Peters, a free Black man. Her remarkable accomplishments are surprisingly well-documented, but it’s heartbreaking to imagine what works and stories of her experiences have been lost since she died. The Phyllis Wheatley Home is one of few surviving testaments to the power of Black women who were committed to being part of the solution toward housing and living conditions that were especially hard on Chicago’s Black residents.
5128 S. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60615
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad House Museum also known as Sajdah House is the former home of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. This Sacred property is the most important piece of property in modern day African American history. There are more leaders and icons that have visited, dined and met in the Home of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad and Mother Clara Muhammad from 1952 to 1974 than any other piece of property in our modern-day history as African Americans. From the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, Mother Khadijah Farrakhan, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Judge Thurgood Marshall, Senator Adam Clayton Powell, Malcolm X, Mrs. Betty Shabazz, Muhammad Ali, Kwame Toure, Mother Tynnetta Muhammad, Dr. Sebi, James Baldwin, Mother Evelyn Muhammad, Sam Cooke, James Brown, Hosea Williams, Bernard King, members of the 1968 Democratic Convention, a host of International Representatives, Business Leaders and many other iconic members of our community.
4847 S. Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, IL 60615
AFFILIATE SUPPORTERS
