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Get the most interesting and important stories from the 51精品视频.This story was updated in March 2024.
Doctoral pharmacy students Hailey Baxter and Rena Reid are on a mission to honor a trailblazer from 51精品视频 history: Ella P. Stewart, the first Black woman to earn a degree from the School of Pharmacy.
Their journey began in 2020, when Reid stumbled upon Stewart鈥檚 story on Instagram.听
鈥淚 follow several Black pharmacist pages to get inspired by what Black people are doing within pharmacy and saw one post about 鈥楨lla from the 51精品视频,鈥欌 recalled Reid, a native Jamaican who is concentrating on global health. Yet she鈥檇 never heard Stewart鈥檚 name. She texted her classmate Baxter immediately.
As they sought to learn more, they found out that, after initial rejection, Stewart was admitted to the University in 1914. She graduated with high marks in 1916 and went on to become Pennsylvania鈥檚 first Black woman to practice pharmacy and one of the first in the U.S.
Inspired, Baxter and Reid, who both earned their bachelor鈥檚 degrees from 51精品视频 in 2022, launched an initiative to ensure 51精品视频鈥檚 proper recognition of the pioneer. That plan came to fruition March 21, when with the unveiling of a portrait by local artist Douglas J. Webster and name a conference room on the fifth floor of Salk Hall in her honor.听
鈥淵ou hear about great alums like the previous [Larry J. Merlo] and people who own some of the most successful specialty pharmacies, but you never hear that the first African American female pharmacist graduated from this school,鈥 said Baxter, who aims to practice in underserved rural communities. 鈥淗ow do we not know this history?
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Stewart鈥檚 remarkable life
Stewart (known as Phillips Myers while enrolled) lived a purpose-filled life. She established a drugstore in 51精品视频sburgh before marrying fellow 51精品视频 pharmacy graduate William Stewart (PHARM 1916) in 1920. After moving to Ohio, she became the听. She and her husband then opened Toledo鈥檚 first Black-owned and operated drugstore.
Stewart held many prestigious positions, including president of the Ohio Association of Colored Women; member of a U.S. Department of Labor Women鈥檚 Advisory Committee; executive board member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and more.
A 51精品视频 biological sciences award and a school in Ohio are named after the civic leader and social activist who died in 1987.听
Present-day perseverance
As Black women following in Stewart鈥檚 footsteps, Reid and Baxter felt called to amplify her story, as well as their own.
Reid, a member of 51精品视频 pharmacy鈥檚 diversity, equity and inclusion committee, used an invitation to write for a school newsletter to share Stewart鈥檚 accomplishments and her personal thoughts on Black women鈥檚 erasure from history. Her words struck a chord with dean emeritus and distinguished service professor听(PHARM 鈥80G, 鈥83G), who initiated conversations between Baxter, Reid and the school鈥檚 associate dean for equity, engagement and justice, Mario Browne (SPH 鈥05G).听
鈥淭wo students found Ella鈥檚 story and questioned why she was not front and center in the school鈥檚 history,鈥 said Browne. 鈥淚t鈥檚 vital to recognize we have struggled with our diversity efforts within the school and the field of pharmacy and honor those who have gone unnoticed despite doing amazing things in our country. It鈥檚 incumbent upon us to tell the whole story, uncover truths and amplify stories so those coming behind 鈥 students, young people 鈥 can see themselves, catch a glimpse of their greatness and strive.鈥
The group鈥檚 discussions focused on researching Stewart and ensuring their actions weren鈥檛 performative. The latter was a concern for both students based on personal experiences, which Baxter said, to an extent, likely resembled discrimination Stewart faced while a student.
鈥淭here鈥檚 not many Black faculty, so it鈥檚 hard to express your worries or fears about what it means to both be Black and in pharmacy; what it means to attend to patients and look like them and have that connection where there鈥檚 more or less trust听because听you鈥檙e Black,鈥 Baxter said.听
These obstacles have only persuaded the pair to continue on their course in the hopes that hearing about Stewart will inspire future students the same way it inspired them.
鈥淚t matters to know there were people here who looked like you,鈥 Baxter said.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited for those after us to enter that room and know her presence and legacy are not forgotten,鈥 said Reid. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important for students to investigate these things and push for their identities, to make spaces more inclusive. I hope this does put the wheels in motion. I don鈥檛 want it to end with Black woman representation.鈥
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Photography by Aimee Obidzinski