Black History Month 2026

Beauty Turner (1957-2008)

Beauty Turner was a Chicago housing activist, journalist, and storyteller who used her own lived experience in public housing to fight displacement and elevate resident voices. For many years she wrote for and edited the Residents’ Journal, a grassroots newspaper by and for public housing residents that highlighted community voices often ignored by mainstream media. Turner also served as associate editor of the South Street Journal and wrote columns for local papers, earning numerous awards for her fearless reporting. She created her “Ghetto (Greatest History Ever Told to Our People) Bus Tours,” where visitors heard directly from residents about life in Chicago’s public housing and saw firsthand the impacts of redevelopment policies. Turner’s advocacy helped shift the conversation–reminding the nation that housing is about people, community, and dignity, and that resident voices should always be part of the conversation.  MORE ABOUT BEAUTY TURNER

Robert C. Weaver (1907-1997) 

Robert C. Weaver was appointed as the first Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 1966 by Lyndon B. Johnson, becoming the first African American Cabinet member in U.S. history.  Earlier in his career, Weaver helped shape federal housing policy, including work that supported the 1937 U.S. Housing Program, which subsidized rents for low-income families and strengthened local housing authorities. As HUD Secretary, he championed fair housing and fought racial discrimination in federal programs, expanding affordable housing opportunities and helping lay the foundation for stronger enforcement of housing rights nationwide.  MORE ABOUT ROBERT C. WEAVER

Lisa Rice

As President and CEO, Lisa Rice leads the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA)’s efforts to advance fair housing principles, strengthen protections, and expand equal housing opportunities for millions of Americans. NFHA serves as a trade association for more than 170 fair housing and justice-centered organizations across the United States and its territories and is a national civil rights nonprofit dedicated exclusively to eliminating housing discrimination. Through its work in civil rights advocacy, investigation, education, and litigation support, NFHA plays a critical role in promoting equitable housing access nationwide.  MORE ABOUT LISA RICE