Lucille Berrien
Lucille Berrien (born in 1928) is an activist from Milwaukee. She was good friends with fellow Open housing advocate James Groppi. She ran for mayor of Milwaukee in 1972, becoming the first African-American woman to do so, but lost the race to incumbent Henry Maier. Though she had recently joined the Black Panther Party, she ran a non-partisan race for mayor.
Quotes
[edit]- I was 24 years old when I became a widow, and I think about all those mothers who have husbands in Iraq. It will be harder for them than it was for me. I always said that if anything happened to my husband I would take the kids up North. I thought they would have a higher quality education.
- I supported them. I thought what they were doing was correct.
- It was a lot of hard work, And I knew I wasn’t going to win. There are two kinds of power: money power and people power. If you don’t have the money, you can still win with people.
- Things are going so backwards in Milwaukee, makes you wish for those days to come back.
- On a professional level, my law firm also enacts her philosophy. If we make Lucille proud, I know we’re doing our job and making good on our mission statement.
- They need to know why they are where they are. And they don’t. It’s the young people that make the world go ‘round.
- I want change for my grandchildren.
- I’m never afraid to walk the streets of Milwaukee.
- Profiles in Milwaukee history: activist Lucille Berrien Retrieved 18 April 2025
Quotes about Lucille Berrien
[edit]- I feel like there is a really long way to go but it’s profoundly meaningful for a homegrown, grassroots activist like Lucille Berrien to have this place in the city.
- A New Mural Honors Community Activist Lucille Berrien Retrieved 18 April 2025
- I try to enact Lucille’s philosophy – her belief that taking care of others is an essential part of being human and that we can best take care of others when we have a decent public support system to do so. Her life experience is deep and that depth is incredibly informative and beautiful.
- Lucille Berrien is definitely one of Milwaukee’s unsung heros. She gives of herself tirelessly to the downtrodden, the voiceless and the hopeless. It is such a pleasure to have her serve on the board of directors at Village of Hope.
- She put the voice in my head that says, You have a responsibility to take care of people less fortunate than you are.
- Profiles in Milwaukee history: activist Lucille Berrien Retrieved 18 April 2025
