Arthur Falls

Arthur Grand Pre’ Falls Sr. (December 25, 1901 – January 9, 2000) was an African-American physician and activist based in Chicago. He became in 1925 the founder of the city's first Catholic Worker.

A graduate of the medical school at Northwestern University, Falls would also play a major role in the desegregation of Chicago's medical facilities.

Biography

Early life and education Born to William Arthur and Angelina Santalia Degrandprie Falls in 1901, Arthur was raised Catholic in a Creole household. His father was a postman and his mother was a dressmaker. Falls attended public schools, however, as Catholic schools in the area did not accept black students. Their parish was Our Lady of Solace Catholic Church. After the FCC was taken over by a group of white Jesuits who turned it into the Catholic Interracial Council, Falls—who preferred the interracial focus as opposed to a black one—attempted to start a CIC chapter in Chicago without success. A dictated memoir from Falls is also extant.