Who is Ms. Beauty Turner?
Beauty Turner is the ancestral namesake of the National Public Housing Museum’s Beauty Turner Academy of Oral History Training and Apprenticeship program. She was a Robert Taylor Homes resident, a mother, a journalist, a poet, and—in our opinion—an oral historian.
Who is Ms. Beauty?
Turner lived in the well-known Robert Taylor Homes for 14 years—up until Sept 30, 2022, when her building at 4525 Federal St. was demolished. Ms. Beauty was a longstanding writer, serving as a journalist and editor for the Residents’ Journal for many years. The Residents’ Journal was a grassroots publication written by and for public housing residents in Chicago. Ms. Beauty was also an assistant editor for the South Street Journal and a columnist for the Lakefront Outlook
Ms. Beauty’s residency in public housing, combined with the media portrayal of public housing and the shift towards privatization at the turn of the century, led her to found the “GHETTO Bus Tours.” GHETTO stands for “Greatest History Ever, Told To Our People.” Turner’s tours took visitors through various Chicago Housing Authority complexes and featured residents reflecting on their experiences in public housing. Ms. Beauty became nationally and internationally recognized for her fight for public and affordable housing.
Ms. Beauty lived 1957 – 2008, transitioning from a brain aneurysm on December 18.
Larry Turner describes his mom’s signature saying:
Cultivating Legacy
NPHM has had the privilege of working with Ms. Beauty’s family members to document, preserve, and amplify her life and legacy. We’ve conducted two oral history interviews thus far with her eldest son, Larry Turner, and more interviews are in the works with community members.
Did you know Ms. Beauty?
Or do you know someone else who did?
We’d love to hear from you!
If you would like to learn more about being interviewed for our legacy work, fill out the form below and our oral history team will be in touch.
Inspired by Ms. Beauty
Hey Love, Got Some Sugar? :
Meditations on Ms. Beauty Turner, Valentine’s Day, and Communal Love
Beauty Turner was also an Aquarius, born during a waning crescent moon. In true Aquarius fashion, she was an innovator, a creator and a time traveler. Her blog, journalism work and Ghetto (Greatest History Ever Told To Our People) Bus Tours were capsules of humanitarian history. …
a floor plan for the heart: The Beauty Turner Academy 2023 Mixtape
What comes to mind when asked the question, “What does home mean to you?” Written, produced, and edited by Cosmo, jellystone, and Nedra, the first cohort of Beauty Turner Academy Archive & Activate Apprentices (2023), this is a floor plan for the heart.
Ms. Beauty in her own Words
GHETTO Bus Tours BlogSpot
Ms. Beauty was an avid writer. From poetry to journalism to musings on her blog, Ms. Beauty was constantly writing. Her multiple Blogspots are still online and can be found below. It’s a treasure trove of grassroots public housing advocacy and writing.
All photos below are courtesy of Ms. Beauty Turner and sourced from her website above.
