Cheryl Blackwell Bryson, chairman of the DuSable Museum, dies
BY MAUREEN O’DONNELL Staff Reporter January 25, 2012 6:38PM
Cheryl Blackwell Bryson obituary photo
Updated: February 27, 2012 9:57AM
As chairman of the DuSable Museum of African American History, Cheryl Blackwell Bryson attracted new funding and members.
Ms. Bryson was also one of the first African-American women in Chicago to become a partner in a major law firm, according to a friend, Redessa Harris. She worked as deputy corporation counsel in the administration of Mayor Harold Washington and specialized in labor and employment law as a partner at the firm of Duane Morris LLP.
Ms. Bryson, 61, died of cancer Jan. 20 at her Hyde Park home.
She attended law school at Ohio State University, where she helped edit the Law Journal. She once told Leading Lawyers Network Magazine: “I was raised to believe there is no substitute for excellence, and that is the standard I hold myself to.”
Ms. Bryson is survived by her son, Blake; her sisters, Paula B. Wilson, Camellia Blackwell-Taffel and Deborah Whittleton; and her brothers, Clarence and Michael. A celebration of her life is planned 3-6 p.m. Sunday at the DuSable Museum, 740 E. 56th Pl.
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