Today in Black History: December 28th
1933 – First Black American Woman To Become Architect
Born on October 4, 1915, in Chicago, Illinois, Beverly Loraine Greene is recognized as possibly the first African American female architect in the United States, as Black Past reports. Raised by her parents, lawyer James A. Greene and homemaker Vera Greene, she achieved a Bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering in 1936 and a Master’s in city planning and housing in 1937 from the University of Illinois. At the age of twenty-seven, on December 28, 1942, Greene officially became a registered architect in the state of Illinois.
Encountering challenges in securing architectural positions despite her qualifications, Greene initially worked for the Chicago Housing Authority. In 1945, she moved to New York and unexpectedly became the first architect employed on the Stuyvesant Town project, defying racial restrictions. However, Greene left the project to pursue a scholarship at Columbia University, earning a master’s in architecture in 1945.
Contributing to renowned architectural firms, Greene worked on significant projects like the UNESCO headquarters in Paris and New York University buildings. Sadly, she passed away at the age of forty-one on August 22, 1957, in New York City, never witnessing the completion of most of her designs. Ironically, her memorial service was held in the Unity Funeral Home, a building she had designed.
1897– Alexander Crummell Presents American Negro Academy Annual Address
Alexander Crummell, an Episcopalian priest and scholar, was born in 1819 in New York City to free Black parents. His life’s work focused on helping African Americans and encouraging educated Black leaders to challenge the idea that they were inferior.
Crummell had an interesting career in the 19th century. Before the Civil War, he was known for his abolitionist work, teaching, and giving talks in both England and the United States. After the war, he became a priest in the Episcopal Church, started St. Luke’s Church in Washington, D.C., and taught at Howard University.
In 1897, at 78 years old, Crummell founded the American Negro Academy, a group of Black intellectuals who wanted to speak out against the idea that science justified the belief that Black people were inferior. On December 28, 1897, Crummell gave a speech to the Academy called “The Attitude of the American Mind Toward the Negro Intellect,” critiquing the notion of Black inferiority, emphasizing the significance of intellectual achievements within the African American community. He advocates for a rejection of the discriminatory “scientific racism” of his time and champions the elevation of the Negro intellect through education and intellectual pursuits.
