Mamie clark bio

Mamie Phipps Clark (1917-1983) was not only the first Black woman to earn a PhD from Columbia University, she made history as social psychologist when she helped outlaw segregation in schools. 

Clark was born in Hot Spring, Arkansas during the Great Depression on April 18, 1917.

Her Story: Mamie Clark - She Made History

Her father was a physician and her mother was a homemaker. But, this was also the Jim Crow south, where her entire educational experience was segregated until she entered Columbia University for her doctorate studies.

At age 17 Clark graduated from high school. She was a bright, hard working student that loved school. She was offered several scholarships, including offers from two of the most prestigious Black universities in the country – Fisk University in Tennessee and Howard University in Washington D.C.

She chose to attend Howard University.

In 1939 Clark graduated magna cum laude from Howard University, and immediately enrolled in the psychology graduate program. Her focus was on Mamie Phipps Clark: Current Biology - Cell Press LEX