Black History Month: Dr. Sophia Bethena Jones
Dr. Sophia Bethana Jones was born on May 16th, 1857, in Chatham, Ontario. The town was then known as the “Black Mecca of Canada” with a large Black community, as it was a terminus of the Underground Railroad. Her parents were abolitionists, which was said to inspire Dr. Jones in breaking barriers for marginalized individuals in healthcare.
Dr. Jones was accepted to the University of Toronto in 1879, where she pursued her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. However, she was not admitted to the University of Toronto medical school, due to her identity as a Black woman, barred by racist and sexist admission policies.
Nevertheless, Jones continued to pursue her dream of becoming a physician in the United States, where she was accepted to the University of Michigan Medical School in 1880. On May 16th, 1885, Dr. Jones became the first Black woman to graduate from her program. She was also the first Black Canadian to receive a medical degree.
Dr. Jones also became the first Black woman to hold a faculty position at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. She contributed significantly towards developing Spelman’s Nursing Program.
Dr. Jones later published an article in 1913 where she addressed the increased mortality among Black populations after emancipation and advocated for better care to reduce these high mortality rates.
References
https://www.missinformed.ca/post/a-feature-on-dr-sophia-b-jones
https://scwist.ca/black-history-month-celebrating-black-excellence-in-stem
https://www.sciencerendezvous.ca/news/2021/02/25/black-canadian-scientists-to-know/
https://www.scheq.org/dr-sophia-bethena-jones#:~:text=Sophia%20Bethena%20Jones-,Dr.,development%20of%20Spelman's%20Nursing%20Program.
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/underground-railroad
About The Author
Thisandi Male Pathiranage is a third year of Psychology with a Minor in Art History at Queen’s University. She enjoys creating digital art, playing the guitar, and going down Wikipedia rabbit holes.