Louise Cleveland

Louise Beard Cleveland, the eldest daughter of Fred Brown and Florine Beard Holland, was born on December 3, 1930, in Bamberg, South Carolina. Along with her younger siblings and many cousins, she was nurtured by her grandparents, Edgar and Phoebe Jane Beard – her grandmother stressed that children are nurtured and only cows and chickens are raised.

Growing up in the segregated south, Louise was a champion for civil rights, even as a young student. In this one instance, she encouraged her classmates to stand their ground when requesting equal service. At an ice cream parlor, she refused to buy chocolate ice cream when the waitress stated that chocolate was the only flavor they had.  Instead of leaving, Louise insisted that they all wait. They saw that strawberry ice cream was being served to some of the white patrons.  Louise spoke up and requested strawberry ice cream for her and her friends. The waitress, who turned beet red, reluctantly sold it to them.

Louise attended Allendale County Training School in Allendale, South Carolina and later transferred to The Mather School, an African American girl’s private boarding school in Beaufort, South Carolina. There, she graduated second in her class in June 1950.

At the age of nineteen, she established her home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she later married Charles Cleveland. From that union she had three children: Charles, Ivy, and Sandra. Always the involved parent, she became active in the home and school association while her children attended the public schools.

For many years Louise worked at TRW, where she was employed as a shop steward. During her tenure, she served as the union representative, advocating for the rights of her fellow employees. It was during this time that she grew concerned about Americans losing their jobs as companies relocated many of their operations overseas. As a result, she refused to buy clothing that was manufactured outside of the United States, making it an active practice to check every label when shopping.

Louise’s family was filled with entrepreneurs.  After retirement, she worked at her aunt’s store in North Philadelphia. Always business-minded, Louise instilled the importance of supporting Black-owned businesses. In fact, Louise was always opinionated when it came to community, education, politics, and jobs. She acted on these beliefs.  She became involved in the political structure by volunteering at the polling place in her neighborhood and encouraged the neighbors young and old to come out to vote. Louise served as the committee person for the 17th Ward, 9th Division in Philadelphia for many years. As a member of Acorn, she attended numerous rallies throughout Pennsylvania, advocating for improved conditions in her local area.

Louise also supported the David Cohen Library, the Ogontz Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia.  She advocated for services to the local branches.  When there was a possibility of the city closing the Ogontz Branch, Louise was steadfast and continued the struggle to keep the branch open.

Louise was an active member of the House of Prayer Episcopal Church for 60 years. Throughout that time, she served on the church choir and various church committees.  Always concerned about the church grounds, she would often take it upon herself to pull up the weeds and tend to the yard on a regular basis, treating the church like her home.

Her passion for gardening kept her physically active. Every day when the weather permitted, she tended to her garden. She grew a plethora of fruits and vegetables along with the flowers she grew in the front and side yards. You always could count on her to supply the collard greens for Thanksgiving.

Louise lived a full compassionate life. Her contagious personality always brought smiles and laughter to the room. She is survived by her son, Charles Cleveland; her daughters, Ivy Muhammad and Sandra Cleveland; her sisters, Ethel Ransome and Lillian Harris; her grandchildren, Yamilah Way, Hanif al-Fareed, Sandra Carter and Jennifer Nichols; her great and great-great grandchildren; daughter-in-law, Denise Cleveland; son-in-law, Samir Muhammad; along with a host of loving nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Louise Cleveland, please visit our floral store.