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, 2002, 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.
Inspired by Ms. Beauty
‘Beauty is Remembered’
This Out of the Archives podcast episode honors the legacy of Ms. Beauty Turner, a mother, journalist, historian, and community activist who lived in Chicago’s Robert Taylor Homes.
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.
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.
