Lionel F. Artis (1895 – 1971) was a civil servant and administrator in the United States. Artis became the first Black person to be appointed to a policy-making municipal agency in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

when he was a named a member of the Indianapolis Board of Health and Hospitals.

Early life

Artis was born in

Paris, Illinois Paris is a city in Edgar County, Illinois, south of Chicago and west of Indianapolis. The population was 8,291 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat and largest city of Edgar County. History Paris was established in 1826 on land donated by ...

. His family moved to Indianapolis when he was a child. He served in the U.S Army during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and studied in Beaune, France while in Europe. He studied at

Butler University Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communic ...

before transferring to the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

where he earned his bachelor of arts in 1933. In 1941, he earned his master of arts from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

. Artis married Sue Chambers and they had four children.

Civil service

Career

Artis was an affordable housing administrator. During the 1920s he opposed

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of humans ...

including the building of an all-Black high school alongside

Robert Brokenburr Robert Lee Brokenburr (November 16, 1886 – March 24, 1974) was an attorney, civil rights leader, and state legislator in Indiana. After several election campaigns, Brokenburr ran as a Republican for an Indiana Senate seat in 1940 and became the ...

. Despite organizing efforts, the Indianapolis school board approved the school to be built in 1922. That school would be

Crispus Attucks High School Crispus Attucks High School (also known as Crispus Attucks Medical Magnet High School) is a high school of the Indianapolis Public Schools in Indianapolis, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is named for Crispus Attucks (c.1723 – March 5, 1770), ...

. He managed

Lockefield Gardens Lockefield Gardens was the first public housing built in Indianapolis. Constructed during the years 1935 to 1938, it was built exclusively for low income African-Americans in Indianapolis. The complex was closed in 1976, and a number of structures ...

, the first community housing complex in Indianapolis, from 1937 to 1969. He also organized the

Flanner House Homes Flanner House Homes is a national historic district located at Indianapolis, Indiana. The district encompasses 180 contributing buildings in the Project Area "A" (Indianapolis Redevelopment Commission) of Indianapolis. It was developed between ab ...

, single and duplex family dwellings built in the 1950s for Black families.

Volunteerism

Artis served on the board of 23 organizations in Indianapolis and volunteered for many, including the Community Health Association, Community Service Council of Metropolitan Indianapolis, the Indianapolis Urban League,

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

, Community Action Against Poverty,

Meals on Wheels Meals on Wheels is a programme that delivers meals to individuals at home who are unable to purchase or prepare their own meals. The name is often used generically to refer to home-delivered meals programmes, not all of which are actually named ...

, Girl Scouts, and more. As a board member of the historic Senate Avenue YMCA, he introduced the first

Boy Scouts Boy Scouts may refer to: * Boy Scout, a participant in the Boy Scout Movement. * Scouting, also known as the Boy Scout Movement. * An organisation in the Scouting Movement, although many of these organizations also have female members. There are ...

troop to the organization. While serving as assistant secretary at YMCA, communicated with

James Weldon Johnson James Weldon Johnson (June 17, 1871June 26, 1938) was an American writer and civil rights activist. He was married to civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson. Johnson was a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peop ...

about the possibility of King Nana Amoah III, of the Fastis in the

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

of Africa, visiting the city during his visit across country visiting Black communities. An

African American art African-American art is a broad term describing visual art created by African Americans — Americans who also identify as Black. The range of art they have created, and are continuing to create, over more than two centuries is as varied as the ...

collector, Artis also organized art exhibitions at YMCA. He became the first

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

person to be appointed to a policy-making municipal agency when he was named to the board of the Indianapolis Board of Health and Hospitals. He was an active member of

Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never restricted membership on the basis of color, creed ...

. Artis was the first editor of the fraternity's quarterly publication, ''The Journal''. In the 1920s, Artis corresponded with

W.E.B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American-Ghanaian sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in ...

, to whom he submitted pieces about the fraternity for ''

The Crisis ''The Crisis'' is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois (editor), Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Mi ...

''. Two of the pieces he submitted were returned by Du Bois.

Later life and legacy

In 1967, Artis was named "Man of the Year" by the

B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith International (, from he, בְּנֵי בְּרִית, translit=b'né brit, lit=Children of the Covenant) is a Jewish service organization. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish peopl ...

Lodge 58 and "Most Wanted Man" by the Community Service Council. He was also honored by the Indianapolis Urban League, the

Jewish Community Relations Council A Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) is a locally based Jewish organization that carries out "action agendas on behalf of and in the name of the local Jewish communities." Councils may aim "to represent the consensus of the organized Jewish ...

, Family Service Association, and Fall Creek YMCA. Artis died on September 1, 1971. The service was led by Bishop John Craine at Christ Church Cathedral. Cleo W. Blackburn attended the funeral. Artis is buried at

Crown Hill Cemetery Crown Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The privately owned cemetery was established in 1863 at Strawberry Hill, whose summit was renamed "The Crown", a high poi ...

. His papers reside in the collection of the

Indiana Historical Society The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is one of the United States' oldest and largest historical societies and describes itself as "Indiana's Storyteller". It is housed in the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center at 450 West Ohio Street ...

. An apartment complex is named after Artis in Indianapolis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Artis, Lionel 1895 births 1971 deaths People from Indianapolis People from Paris, Illinois Military personnel from Indiana United States Army personnel of World War I University of Chicago alumni Indiana University Bloomington alumni YMCA leaders Kappa Alpha Psi Housing rights activists in Indianapolis Activists from Indiana African-American history of Indianapolis 20th-century African-American people