Beauty Turner

Beauty Turner
Born Beauty B. Turner
October 23, 1957
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died December 18, 2008(2008-12-18) (aged 51)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Cause of death Aneurysm
Occupation
Known for Activism of public housing residents in Chicago
Ghetto Bus Tours

Beauty B. Turner (October 23, 1957 – December 18, 2008) was an American housing activist and journalist from Chicago, Illinois. At the time of her death, Turner was compared to the civil rights leader Ida B. Wells.[1][2]

Biography

Career

Turner was well known for her Ghetto (Greatest History Ever Told To Our People) Bus Tours, which gave a voice to those who were unable to. Turner was associate editor of Chicago (South) Street Journal and a columnist for the Hyde Park Herald and a number of other local newspapers. Turner was also an activist in the community. For sixteen years, Turner was a resident of the Robert Taylor Homes, one of the US's best known public housing.[3] Towards the end of her career, Turner worked as a research assistant for Professor Sudhir Venkatesh, a sociologist at Columbia University. Her writings have appeared on the front page of The Wall Street Journal.[3][4]

Awards and honors

Turner won a number of awards through her career as a journalist, which include:

  • First New America Award by the National Society of Professional Journalists
  • Winner of a Studs Terkel
  • Peter Lisagor
  • Associated Press award
  • Chicago Association for Black Journalist award
  • Courageous voice award for her community activism
  • Black Pearl award
  • Woman of the Century award
  • Shero award from the Empowerment Zone Committee[3][4]

Personal and death

Turner had three children, two sons and a daughter; Larry, Landon and Latanya Turner, born in 1975. Turner's grandson is Reezy Turner.[5] Turner died on December 18, 2008, at the age of 51. She suffered from an aneurysm and fell into a coma and never recovered. She died at Rush University Medical Center.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Olkon, Sara (December 19, 2008). "Beauty Turner, 51: Chicago public housing activist and reporter". Chicago Tribune.
  2. ↑ Rhodes, Steve (December 19, 2008). "'Writer, Fighter' Beauty Turner Dies". NBC Chicago.
  3. 1 2 3 "Beauty's Ghetto Bus Tours". Beautys Ghetto Bus Tours. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  4. 1 2 "'Writer, Fighter' Beauty Turner Dies". NBC Chicago. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Beauty Turner, 51: Chicago public housing activist and reporter". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 10 April 2013.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.