Born on December 29, 1880, Richard John Warrick Jr. was one of six founding members of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, the oldest African American Greek Letter Fraternity in the nation. The others were Henry Minton, Algernon Jackson, Edwin Howard, Robert Jones Abele, and Eugene Hinson. … Read MoreRichard John Warrick, Jr. (1880-1957)
Joshua J. Wright II was a dentist and politician in Anchorage, Alaska. In 1970 he was one of the first African Americans to be elected to the State House of Representatives. Wright was born in Georgetown, South Carolina, on August 6, 1929. His parents were … Read MoreJoshua J. Wright II (1929-2017)
Vada Somerville was the first African American female dentist educated at the University of Southern California School of dentistry, and the second African American graduate in the university’s history. Graduating in 1918, Somerville was the only African American student in her class of eighty-eight graduates. … Read MoreVada Watson Somerville (1885-1972)
Ida Gray Nelson Rollins, the first African American female dentist, was born in Clarksville, Tennessee, on March 4, 1867. She became an orphan when her mother, Jennie Gray, died in her early teens. Rollins’ white father, whose name is unknown, played no role in her … Read MoreIda Gray Nelson Rollins (1867-1953)
Lonnie Smith was a well-known dentist in Houston, Texas, an officer in the Houston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and a civil rights activist. He is best known for his role in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case … Read MoreLonnie E. Smith (1901-1971)
Cubah Cornwallis was a former slave to Captain William Cornwallis and became well known in the Caribbean as an accomplished nurse. Few documents exist about her 18th century life, and her name has various spellings including Coubah, Couba, Cooba and Cuba. References to her indicate … Read MoreCubah Cornwallis (?-1848)
The National Medical Association (NMA) was founded in 1895 by African American physicians as an alternative to the white-only American Medical Association. It was created by twelve black doctors at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia. Robert F. Boyd was the organization’s … Read MoreNational Medical Association (1895- )
Jesse Max Barber, journalist, dentist, and civil rights leader, was born on July 5, 1878 in Blackstock, South Carolina to former slave parents. As a young man he worked as a barber while completing the teacher’s training course at Benedict College, Columbia, S.C. His literary … Read MoreJ. Max Barber (1878-1949)
Dr. Rosalie Reddick Miller was the first African American woman dentist to practice in the state of Washington. She was born on December 29, 1925 in Waycross, Georgia. She attended the all-black public schools in Columbus, Georgia, and in 1946 received a B.A. from Fisk … Read MoreRosalie Reddick Miller (1925-2005)
Robert Tanner Freeman is the first professionally trained black dentist in the United States. A child of slaves, he eventually entered Harvard University and graduated only four years after the end of the Civil War on May 18, 1869. Robert Tanner Freeman was born in … Read MoreRobert Tanner Freeman (1846-1873)
