This Black History Month, let's look back at a pioneer of dentistry. In 1890, Ida Gray Nelson Rollins graduated from the University of Michigan College of Dentistry. She became the very first African-American woman dentist in the USA! Of note, there were only 2 other women in her graduating class!
Rollins was born in Tennessee in 1867, and her mother passed away when she was a teenager. She moved in with her aunt in Ohio. While finishing high school, she worked at a dental office (Jonathan Taft) and became inspired by dentistry!
Taft, who became the first dean of the dental college at the University of Michigan, supported admitting women to the program, which was rare at the time. Taft helped Rollins to be prepared for the entrance exam and she passed! When she graduated, she was the only African-American woman to ever have earned a Doctorate of Dental Surgery in the USA.
Rollins opened her own practice in Cincinnati, Ohio, then later moved to Chicago and continued to practice there! While treating patients, she served as the vice president of the Professional Women's Club of Chicago. She was also involved in the Phyllis Wheatley Club, the only black women's shelter in Chicago.
Info from https://www.ohsu.edu/womens-health/women-who-inspire-us-ida-gray-nelson-rollins#:~:text=In%201890%2C%20Ida%20Gray%20Nelson,dentist%20in%20the%20United%20States.