Village of Oak Park and Village Board Mourn Passing of Faith Julian
Published on March 27, 2026
The Village of Oak Park and the Village President and Board of Trustees are mourning the passing of Faith Julian, beloved daughter of Dr. Percy Lavon Julian and Dr. Anna Roselle Julian and cherished member of our community for 75 years. She was not only a steward of a celebrated name in Oak Park, but she was also a living witness to history, a keeper of her family's extraordinary legacy and a woman of remarkable resilience and grace.
When the Julian family moved to Oak Park in 1950, they were not welcomed but greeted with violence. Faith, just seven years old, survived a dynamite bomb launched near her bedroom window. Despite that memory, she chose to remain here, to love this Village and to spend her life honoring her parents' legacy within it. That mindset speaks to a depth of character and forgiveness that humbles us all.
Faith, a graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School, remembered the family home on East Avenue not only as the center of family life, but as the place where her father thrived as a scientist and entrepreneur. It was a home she never left, and it stands as a powerful symbol of resilience and progress in Oak Park, representing both the painful history of racial discrimination and the enduring determination of a family who refused to be driven away. Maintaining and promoting her family’s legacy was incredibly important to Faith. She did so in unrelenting fashion by maintaining the scholarship fund as long as possible, annually presenting on her parents at Percy L. Julian High School in Chicago and more.
Oak Park is a better, more honest, and more just community because of Faith and the Julian family. We are indebted to Faith for the wisdom she shared when it was needed the most, and for her patience with us as we worked to honor what her family sacrificed and contributed here. To be sure, that work will continue.
Faith will always be remembered for her intelligence, tireless work ethic and passion for her family and the entire community. She is tremendously missed and we extend our deepest condolences to the Julian family and to all who love her.
On March 10, 2026, the Village Board approved Proclamation Honoring Faith Julian and the Julian Family Legacy in Oak Park. The video below includes the reading of the proclamation by Trustee James J. Taglia and comments from Faith via telephone:
<![CDATA[video of Proclamation for Faith Julian and Julian Family Legacy from March 10, 2026]]>
<![CDATA[video of Proclamation for Faith Julian and Julian Family Legacy from March 10, 2026]]>
<![CDATA[Your browser does not support embedded content. <a href="//oak-park.granicus.com/player/clip/2956?meta_id=285813&entrytime=69&stoptime=828&autostart=0&embed=1">Click here to view the video</a>.]]>
About Oak Park - The Village of Oak Park, located just nine miles west of downtown Chicago, offers a distinctive urban/suburban lifestyle in a thriving, multi-cultural community. Well-known for progressive values, tree-lined streets and bustling business districts, Oak Park serves as an ideal place to live, work and play. As a longstanding community of choice, the Village benefits from convenient access to local and regional transit, high-quality public schools, and arts and cultural attractions, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio and his acclaimed Unity Temple, which was recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.