Inez Beverly Prosser was an American psychologist, teacher and school administrator, often regarded as the first African American woman to receive a PhD in psychology. Raised in Texas, she was educated at Prairie View Normal College, the University of Colorado and the University of Cincinnati, and her work has been described as influential to the reasoning behind the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling. She was killed in a car accident a short time after earning her doctorate.
Facts
Birth DateSources disagree on the exact year: Prosser's University of Colorado transcript lists 1894, her General Education Board fellowship application (written by Prosser herself) lists 1896, and her death certificate and most published sources list 1895, which is treated as the most likely date. Birth YearSources disagree on the exact year: Prosser's University of Colorado transcript lists 1894, her General Education Board fellowship application (written by Prosser herself) lists 1896, and her death certificate and most published sources list 1895, which is treated as the most likely date. Nationality / Culture Defining ContributionConducted pioneering research comparing the personality development of Black children in segregated and integrated schools, finding segregated schools with Black teachers better supported Black children's psychological adjustment and racial identity; her findings were later invoked in the debates leading to Brown v. Board of Education. 1 Notable WorkThe Non-Academic Development of Negro Children in Mixed and Segregated Schools (1933 doctoral dissertation) 1 Disputed
BirthplaceWikipedia states the birth location is not entirely clear: family recollections point to San Marcos, Texas, while earlier published claims state Yoakum, Texas, the town the family moved to around 1900. Connections
In Branch
Source Wikipedia: Inez Beverly Prosser
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Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Source Wikipedia: Inez Beverly ProsserLead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia articleQuote, Lead paragraph of the cited Wikipedia article
She is often regarded as the first African-American female to receive a Ph.D. in psychology.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Inez Beverly Prosser
Wikimedia FoundationLead paragraph
Inez Beverly Prosser (December 30, 1895 - September 5, 1934) was a psychologist, teacher and school administrator.
Early life section
family recollections point to Inez being born in San Marcos, Texas, a small town between Austin and San Antonio
Death section
After the accident, Prosser was transported to the Tri-State Sanitarium in Shreveport where she died on September 5, 1934.
Dissertation and other works section
Prosser's dissertation, The Non-Academic Development of Negro Children in Mixed and Segregated Schools, became an important text for issues relating to education, reform, social development, racial identity, and other prominent topics related to segregation.
Lead paragraph, occupation clause
She is often regarded as the first African-American female to receive a Ph.D. in psychology.
Lead paragraph, impact clause
Her work was very influential in the hallmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling.
In Branch: Educational Psychology, Article text
She went on to receive a master's degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Colorado.
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