Lucille Berrien

Lucille M. Berrien (April 12, 1928 – May 22, 2026) was an American activist from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and a member of the Black Panther Party. She got married at the age of 16 and had her first child at 17. At the age of 24, in 1953, her husband was killed in the Korean War. Berrien subsequently moved with her two young children to Milwaukee. She worked for a time as a domestic worker in Bayside and Whitefish Bay homes.

Political career Berrien ran for mayor of Milwaukee in 1972, becoming the first African-American woman to do so, but lost the race to incumbent Henry Maier.

She was a supporter of Milwaukee Alderperson Michael McGee Jr., even after his 2008 convictions for bribery and extortion, believing he was set up by the government. She was also good friends with fellow Open housing advocate James Groppi.

In April 2021, there was an effort to rename a Milwaukee park then named for Charles Lindbergh in her honor. On October 23, 2021, the name of the park was officially changed in her honor to "Lucille Berrien Park." As of May 28, 2023, the park has a mural depicting Berrien.

From 2021, there has been an annual Lucille Berrien Humanitarian Award named in her honor.

Berrien died on May 22, 2026, at the age of 98.