The Trailblazer Every American Should Know

I’ll never forget the first time I heard the calm but catalyzing words of Dr. Mildred Jefferson. I was instantly hooked. How could I have never heard of this devout Christian woman until my 30s? She was the first black woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School in 1951 – during the racist Jim Crow era in America. She became the first female surgeon hired at Boston University Medical Center. Dr. Jefferson was awarded 28 honorary degrees.

Notable historical figures have been celebrated for far less.

I had to scour the internet for bits and pieces of her life that should’ve been displayed prominently and pervasively. Why wasn’t she championed in public school textbooks, displayed in the Smithsonian, and recalled by mainstream media during Black History Month, Women’s History Month, or any month of the year?

There’s one simple answer for that. Dr. Mildred Fay Jefferson was pro-life.