BRONZEVILLE — Political leaders will gather Tuesday at the 31st Street Beach to rename the site in honor of the late Dr. Margaret Burroughs, according to the Chicago Park District.
Burroughs was a visual artist and activist best known as the founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History in 1961, according to her 2010 obituary in the Tribune. Burroughs grew up in Englewood, and she taught at DuSable High School and Kennedy-King college for more than 20 years.
Burroughs also spent 25 years as a commissioner on the Chicago Park District Board until her 2010 death, according to a press release.
U.S. Representative Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) committed to naming a city landmark after Burroughs as far back as 2012, according to the release.
At 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Rush will join Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Ald. Will Burns (4th) and Chicago Park District superintendant Michael P. Kelly to rename the beach in Burroughs's honor.
The move follows an online petition that gathered nearly 2,000 signatures to name the harbor in honor of the "woman pioneer whose contributions promoted cultural harmony and artistic opportunity for all."
Burroughs was a long-time Bronzeville resident. At the time of her death, President Barack Obama said in a statement that she "was widely admired for her contributions to American culture as an esteemed artist, historian, educator and mentor."
"She herself was a cultural institution," Mayor Richard M. Daley said at the time of her death.
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