Dr. Margaret Burroughs: 1917-2010

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Nov 22, 2010 3:30PM

Chicago lost one of its greatest champions of the arts yesterday with the passing of Dr. Margaret Burroughs at the age of 95. Born in Saint Rose, LA, Dr. Burroughs and her family settled on the South Side of the city in 1922. She then went on to graduate from the Chicago Teachers College and earned her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Chicago.

Frustrated at the lack of options for African-American artists to showcase their work and hoping to bring Black history to the forefront, Dr. Burroughs founded the Ebony Museum of Negro History and Art, which would morph into the DuSable Museum of African American History. Today, the DuSable Museum boasts a collection of over 100,000 pieces, with plans to expand.

Dr. Burroughs was also a tireless community activist, spending Christmas Day at Cook County Jail with the Rev. Jesse Jackson for the past 35 years.