Lucy J. Brown
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Lucy J. Brown | |
|---|---|
 2024 bronze statue of Brown by Meredith Bergmann | |
| Board Member of the Ithaca City School District | |
| Member of the Ithaca Board of Public Works | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 5, 1933 Ithaca, New York, U.S. |
| Died | February 9, 2025 (aged 91) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education | Ithaca High School |
| Occupation | activist, public servant |
Lucy J. Brown (September 5, 1933 – February 9, 2025) was an American social justice activist and public servant. She was the co-founder of Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services in Ithaca, New York. Brown also served on the Ithaca City School District Board and on the Ithaca Board of Public Works.
Brown was born on Albany Street in Ithaca.[1][2] She attended Central Elementary School, Boynton Junior High School, and Ithaca High School.[2]
Career
After finishing high school, Brown worked for Cornell University in the Department of Education.[2] Later, she worked in Cornell's Martha Van Rensselaer Hall and for the dean of the New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University.[2]
She worked as an activist for racial justice, educational equity, and affordable housing.[3][4] In 1976, she co-founded Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, a non-profit organization focusing on affordable housing in the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regions of New York.[3] As a board member of Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, Brown acted as an advocate for local residents in Ithaca's Southside neighborhood.[3][5] Brown was also active in the Civil rights movement and was present at the 1969 takeover of Willard Straight Hall.[2]
She served on the Ithaca City School District Board, the Ithaca Board of Public Works, and Ithaca Commons Council, and worked with the Ithaca Urban Renewal Agency.[5][2] Brown also served as president of the board of trustees of the John W. Jones Museum in Elmira, New York.[2]
In 2008, Brown received the Diane Sams Annual African American History Month Recognition Award.[2]