Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs Gets Her Street
It’s been a long time coming but it has come to pass that the 31st Beach & Park will be renamed “Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs Beach & Park.” The Chicago Park Board has agreed to giving Dr. Burroughs this well-deserved honor.
Dr. Burroughs was an American visual artist, writer and a co-founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History. An active member of the African-American community, she was also instrumental in the establishment of the South Side Community Art Center, whose opening on May 1, 1941 was dedicated by the First Lady of the United States Eleanor Roosevelt. The art center housed across the street from her home became a haven for the WPA artists. So many of whom are house hold names amongst art officianottos. At the age of 23 Burroughs served as the youngest member of the Southside Community Arts Center, which hosted, art classes workshop s and studio space for board of directors.
She was a prolific writer, with her efforts directed toward the exploration of the Black experience and to children, especially to encourage and enhance their appreciation of their cultural identity and to their introduction and growing awareness of art. Always seeking ways to get the art in front of people, she is also credited with the founding of Chicago’s Lake Meadows Art Fair in the early 1950s. But her greatest contribution was the founding of the DuSAble Museum, the first African American Museum in the U.S. Her vision of the institution was to document, archive, preserve, showcase and teach African American History to all Black people especially children.
The announcement of the renaming will take place next Tuesday, August 11 at the 31st St., Beach, adjacent to the beach house. More information on logistics for the press conference will follow. It will take place at 10:30 AM and the Congressman would like to invite you to attend.
In addition, on Wednesday, August 12 the board will take the official vote at the regular scheduled board meeting the board meeting will be at 3:30 PM in their headquarters board room located at 5:41 North Fairbanks, eighth floor. You are encouraged to attend the Board meeting as well.
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