Because the chief of the Black Ladies Lead undertaking, I spend appreciable time researching Black ladies who’ve made an impression on Boston. Our undertaking is at the moment looking for the subsequent 200 ladies to honor.
Sometimes, we give attention to ladies who broke limitations as ladies, ladies of colour, or Black ladies. We additionally spotlight those that have one thing named after them, equivalent to a constructing, park, playground, avenue or a scholarship. Merely being born right here, attending school right here, or spending a couple of years of 1’s profession right here isn’t sufficient for recognition.
Our third criterion is reserved for girls who’ve executed one thing uniquely vital for the Black group. This strategy has labored properly for us, however one lady stands out as somebody we haven’t but honored, though she totally deserves it: Dr. Dorothy Celeste Ferebee.
Dr. Ferebee, an American obstetrician and civil rights activist, made groundbreaking contributions all through her life, however her impression was largely felt outdoors Boston, so we haven’t but included her. Nonetheless, I imagine that this can be a vital oversight, and it’s time for Boston to acknowledge her achievements by naming one thing in her honor. Regardless of her accomplishments, I don’t imagine anybody has named something after her in Boston, a metropolis that performed an important position in her early training and profession.
Born Dorothy Boulding right into a outstanding African American household in Norfolk, Virginia, she moved to Boston as a baby. From 1904 to 1908, she attended Boston faculties earlier than transferring to The English Excessive College, the place she graduated on the prime of her class in 1915. She then attended Simmons School, the place she grew to become a member of the Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and graduated in 1920. From there, she entered Tufts College College of Drugs, the place she graduated in 1924, once more among the many prime 5 in her class. Regardless of her wonderful educational document, she confronted discrimination when in search of internships. No white hospital in Boston would settle for her, which led her to maneuver to Washington, D.C., the place she began her profession.
After shifting to Washington, Dr. Ferebee started her internship at Freedmen’s Hospital, a Black-owned and Black-staffed establishment. She labored as an obstetrician and commenced advocating for contraception and intercourse training for girls — matters that had been extremely controversial on the time. In 1925, she established her personal medical clinic in an impoverished space of town. She persuaded the trustees of Friendship Home, a segregated medical heart, to open a further clinic for African People, which was later named Southeast Neighborhood Home. She additionally based the Southeast Neighborhood Society, which supplied a playground and daycare for the youngsters of working moms. She joined the college of Howard College Medical College that very same 12 months and married Claude Thurston Ferebee, a professor at Howard College School of Dentistry, in 1930.
One among Dr. Ferebee’s most important contributions was her management of the Mississippi Well being Mission from 1935 to 1942. Sponsored by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, this initiative supplied important healthcare to Black sharecroppers within the Jim Crow South. Below her steering, the undertaking immunized over 15,000 kids in opposition to smallpox and diphtheria, a rare achievement for a volunteer-run effort. Past healthcare, she grew to become a pacesetter within the civil rights motion, succeeding Mary McLeod Bethune because the second president of the Nationwide Council of Negro Ladies (NCNW) in 1949. Her work targeted on healthcare, training, and combating discrimination in varied sectors, together with housing, employment, and the navy.
Dr. Ferebee’s profession was not nearly offering healthcare; it was about addressing systemic inequities affecting African People, notably ladies and youngsters. Her medical experience grew to become a platform for advancing civil rights. She represented the U.S. at worldwide conferences, labored with UNICEF, and advocated for social justice throughout the globe. Her contributions had been felt not solely in America however internationally.
But, regardless of her monumental achievements, Boston has not honored Dr. Ferebee in the best way she deserves. Naming a constructing, college, or park after her wouldn’t solely commemorate her legacy but in addition acknowledge the ignored contributions of Black ladies in Boston’s historical past. Too typically, the tales of pioneering Black ladies like Dr. Ferebee are marginalized or forgotten, overshadowed by these whose accomplishments are extra seen in mainstream narratives.
Honoring Dr. Ferebee on this approach would additionally function an academic instrument. Boston is a metropolis that prides itself on its position in training, healthcare, and civil rights. Dr. Ferebee’s life intersects with all of those areas. A public tribute in her identify would provide the group a possibility to find out about her outstanding life and the broader historical past of African American ladies’s contributions to drugs and civil rights. It might encourage younger individuals, notably ladies of colour, to pursue careers in fields the place they’re underrepresented and to grasp the significance of utilizing their abilities for social justice.
In a metropolis like Boston, which has a posh racial historical past, naming one thing after Dr. Ferebee could be a significant step towards acknowledging the contributions of Black ladies. It might rejoice her resilience, brilliance, and unyielding dedication to equality. Dr. Ferebee’s work paved the best way for future generations of Black ladies in drugs and civil rights, and Boston ought to proudly acknowledge her as certainly one of its personal.
Dr. Dorothy Celeste Ferebee exemplified what it means to be a trailblazer and public servant. She devoted her life to bettering the well being and lives of marginalized communities, breaking limitations alongside the best way. Boston performed a pivotal position in shaping her journey, and it’s only becoming that town honors her with a everlasting tribute. The time has come for Boston to make sure that Dr. Ferebee’s identify and legacy are preserved and celebrated for generations to come back.
Ed Gaskin is Government Director of Better Grove Corridor Most important Streets and founding father of Sunday Celebrations
