“OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” : BEVERLY LORRAINE GREENE

What were the odds of a Black “Bi-racial” female who was raised on Chicago’s predominately Black Southside[ known as the “Black Ghetto ], becoming the first Negro female licensed Architect In America, in 1936? Well, Beverly Lorraine Greene had A Dream. She was born on October 4, 1915, to James A. and Vera Greene. Their family was part of the “Great Migration “ that helped transform the city of Chicago. When she completed high school, she enrolled at the racially integrated University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign(UIUC). While there she pledged with the “Delta Sigma Theta” sorority, one of the most popular national sororities for Black women. In 1936, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering[ she was the first Negro female to earn this degree from this university ]. As a matter of fact, she was the only Black to graduate that year with a degree in Architecture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The next year she earned her Master’s degree in city planning and housing. After graduation, she returned to Chicago and was hired by the Chicago Housing Authority. Also, Beverly Lorraine Greene ended up working for the first architectural office headed by a Negro{ in downtown Chicago }. On December 28, 1942, Beverly L Greene “made history” by becoming the first licensed Negro female Architect in America! In 1945, after learning about a big housing development project forming in New York , she decided to move to New York City . She applied for and got the position to work on the project, but she would only work there for about 2 and 1/2 days( because she landed a scholarship into a master’s degree program in Architecture at Columbia University ). Once she received her master’s degree from Columbia University, she was hired by the Isadore Rosenfield firm. During her career, Beverly Lorraine Greene made strong alliances with leading Black architects[ they would prove to be valuable in helping her land,begin,and finish many of her projects ]. Additionally, Beverly Lorraine Greene was successful in making an impact Internationally in Paris, France. Before her death, she helped Architect Marcel Breuer design The UNESCO{ United Nations headquarters } building in Paris ,which was completed in 1958. Sadly,she did not live to see several of her final development projects come through to fruition. However, through all her development projects( including the ones she helped others put together ), she left behind an “amazing legacy” for the whole world to see! On August 22, 1957, Beverly Lorraine Greene past away in New York City, New York{ her funeral was held at the Unity Funeral Home in Manhattan,New York }, a structure she helped design. She was only “41 years old.” In closing, I would like to share a question that “Speaks Volumes!” It reads,”Can you Imagine if schools actually helped kids identify their strengths, by exploring their talents from a young age, and growing their skills over the 12 years of school, instead of letting them all follow the same routine and leaving them confused in life after( at ) Graduation ?”