Lugenia Burns Hope (February 19, 1871 – August 14, 1947), was a social reformer whose Neighborhood Union and other community service organizations improved the quality of life for African Americans in Atlanta, Georgia, and served as a model for the future Civil Rights Movement.

[3] With the help of Morehouse students, she surveyed local area residents about their needs for community development projects, which eventually led to the college providing day care, kindergarten, and recreational programs.

[citation needed] Their success led to Lugenia Hope coordinating a US-wide network of Hostess Houses that provided services ranging from recreational programs to relocation counseling to African American and Jewish soldiers and their families.

"[4] An innovative thinker on racial politics, Hope criticized the common belief that African American needed to prove their worthiness as citizens, and as vice president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People of Atlanta organized six-week courses on voting, democracy, and the U.S. Constitution.

This work was later copied across the country, and these classes became part of the early stages of the Civil Rights Movement.