Olive Myrl Diggs (April 22, 1908 - November 10, 1980) was the managing editor of

Anthony Overton Anthony Overton Jr. (March 18, 1864 – July 2, 1946), was an American banker and manufacturer. He was the first African American to lead a major business conglomerate.Harvard Business School. American Business Leaders of the Twentieth CenturyAnt ...

's '' Chicago Bee'' from 1929 until it closed in 1947, a public official advocating for Chicago's African American community, and a city planner. She was born in

Mound City, Illinois Mound City is a city and the county seat of Pulaski County, Illinois, United States. It is located along the Ohio River just north of its confluence with the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 588. History Mound C ...

, received a B.S. in Economics and Accounting from

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

and an M.S. from

Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a private university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university enrolls arou ...

. At the ''Chicago Bee'', Diggs focused on housing for African-Americans in Chicago and advocated for neighborhood rejuvenation. She directed the Neighborhood Youth Corps and was a consultant for the

National Youth Administration The National Youth Administration (NYA) was a New Deal agency sponsored by Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt during his presidency. It focused on providing work and education for Americans between the ages of 16 and 25. ...

. She served as Assistant Direct of the Illinois Commission on Human Relations. She gave speeches. She retired as Administrative Assistant in the Chicago Department of Planning, City and Community Development in 1979.

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