Lucille Mason Rose (September 27, 1920 - August 15, 1987)[1] was an African-American civil servant and political activist who was the first woman to serve as a New York City Deputy Mayor.
While in high school, Rose joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and won their "Miss Brooklyn" contest in her twenties.
[5] In the 1960s, she became involved with community activism in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood through the Central Brooklyn Coordinating Council (CBCC), with fellow activists like Shirley Chisholm, Almira Kennedy Coursey, and Elsie Richardson.
[2][7] In 1964, Mayor Robert F. Wagner hired her as the director of the Bedford-Stuyvesant office of the city's Department of Labor, where she helped establish and oversee the Neighborhood Manpower Service Center.
[3] Rose was honored by orthodox Jewish organization, the Agudath Israel of America in 1975 for her employment programs designed for economically disadvantaged ethnic groups.
[3] Shortly before her death in 1987, Rose received the Thomas S. Boyland Award from the New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators.
[1] Her funeral was attended by several politicians and public officials, including Edward Koch, David Dinkins, Shirley Chisholm, and Percy Sutton.