Durbin, Duckworth push for National Landmark status for Chicago church where Emmett Till's service was held

CHICAGO - Chicago native Emmett Till is being honored with a statue in Greenwood, Mississippi.

The nine-foot bronze statue stands just miles from the crumbling remains of the store where he was accused of whistling at a white woman — an event that lead to his kidnapping and murder.

Till's death, and most notably his funeral, sparked a new day in the Civil Rights movement.

His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, insisted that he have an open casket service despite his face being unrecognizably disfigured.

The service was held in Chicago at the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ. The church still stands on 40th and South State Street.

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Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are pushing to make the Bronzeville church a National Landmark.

"So that we can remember the journey of Emmett Till which continues, and then we can remember this place at that moment in history that finally opened our eyes to the reality of hatred," Durbin said.

The church has been put on the annual list of America’s 11 most threatened historic sites because of structural issues.

A life-sized bronze statue of Till-Mobley is planned in the Chicago suburb of Summit. An October 28 groundbreaking is set for a plaza outside Argo Community High School, where she was an honor student.

The statue is scheduled to be in place by late April.