THE COALITION OF BLACK HOUSE MUSEUMS
Meet The Founding Members of the Coalition of Black House Museums
TAP ON THEIR PICTURES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR IMPACT
Ms. Muhammad is an International Entrepreneur and a distinguished winner of the International Association of Top
Professionals “Top Entrepreneur of the Year” Award. She is a Hospital and Healthcare Developer and has built scalable,
progressive new business models for Free Standing Surgery Centers and Micro-Hospitals. She is also creator and
developer of the Mind of an Entrepreneur® brand that currently produces television and radio shows, authors and
publishes books on the Art and Science of Business™. She holds a dual degree in Finance and Accounting from Iowa
State University and numerous business certifications and accomplishments in the areas of Finance, Accounting and
Business. Ms. Muhammad is Owner and Chief Executive Officer of a Business Consulting and Crisis Management firm. As a Business Consultant, Executive Project Manager and Business Thought Leader she has trained thousands of
entrepreneurs and emerging leaders and developed over $600 million in Business Development Projects. She has served as Crisis Manager, Coach and Consultant for many Corporations, Executives and Celebrities. Her new services now include Historic Preservation Consulting.
Sajdah Wendy Muhammad, International Real Estate and Business Developer, Urban Historic Preservation Consultant and Founder of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad House Museum® also known as Sajdah House®
Chandra is a multi-talented entrepreneur and community advocate with a wealth of experience in media & public
relations. She is an experienced network affiliate, on-air television reporter & producer, youth and women's advocate with community engagement experience and has experience working in the area of youth social services. Cooper holds a B.A. in Marketing Communications from Columbia College. She has a credential in Child Care Administration from University of Milwaukee. She is a facilitator for First Aids Arts which is a trauma informed care, expressive arts curriculum based and evidence based program. Lastly, Mrs. Cooper has her Masters Degree in Professional Counseling from Concordia University. In June of 2021 Ms. Cooper attended Harvard Business School to obtain a certificate in Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management.
Chandra Cooper is the Founder & President of the Muddy Waters Mojo Museum® and great granddaughter of Muddy Waters.
Dr. Hughes has served as a subject matter specialist on the Pullman Porters, and has been a consultant on numerous
documentary films on the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, including the 2003 Showtime docudrama 10,000
Black Men Named George. Her work with the museum has been featured on ABC's Good Morning America, and in
publications like USA Today, Essence, AARP, and the Chicago Tribune. She authored the book, An Anthology of Respect: The Pullman Porters National Historic Registry Of African American Railroad Employees in 2007, and created the companion national traveling exhibition, "From Servitude to Civil Rights.” In 2010, Hughes was elected museum
president emeritus, and subsequently served as a consultant for Cultural Edutainment, LLC.
In 2012, Hughes was the founding director of the Center For Black Labor Research, in Chicago; and, in 2016, she became the creator and host of Live From Pullman National Monument, a talk radio show focused on cultural economic development tourism. Hughes received the Living Legacy Award from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), a Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars 2006 honor, the 2007 Distinguished Service Award from the Amistad Research Center, is listed in the Who's Who Registry Among Executive and Professional Women 2008, and received The Purpose Prize from Encore.org in 2013.
Dr. Lyn Hughes, Founder of the National A. Phillip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum
Naomi is the visionary behind BIG’s Sustainable Square Mile initiative. She is the proud granddaughter of Mississippi sharecroppers who – like 7 million others – voted with their feet and moved “UpSouth” for freedom and economic opportunity during the Great Migration. Naomi believes Black communities can thrive by recreating the walkable villages of the Great Migration era, while also embracing the transition to a clean energy economy. Naomi served on Governor-Elect Pritzker’s Transition Team - Powering Illinois’ Future; on Mayor Emanuel’s Transition Team for Energy, Environment, and Public Space; and was selected as a sustainability thought leader at Groupon’s First Annual Chicago Ideas Week. She is a respected community advocate for equitable development in the communities surrounding the Obama Presidential Center, and has lived and worked in West Woodlawn since 2010. She was born and raised in the walkable village of St. Albans NY, and is a graduate of Woodmere Academy County Day School, Fisk University, and the John Marshall/University of Illinois Law School.
Naomi Davis, Founder of the Emmett and Mamie Till Mobley House and Blacks in Green (B.I.G.)
The greystone was purchased by the Tates, a former algebra instructor and employee of the Illinois Department of
Transportation, Joanne and Martin. The vision of the consortium is to offer services that promote and provide cultural
diversity, education, employment, public awareness, leadership, career exploration, workforce development, healthy
living, family interaction, and community building to empower both the business and clients.
