born December 7, 1895 died January 12, 1954
First African-American to earn a doctorate degree in any American university, having received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Clark University on June 14, 1920. He is known as the “Father of Black Psychology” for being also the first African-American psychologist in the United States. He is credited for being a founder of the Psychology Department at the prominent Howard University.
Dr. Sumner faced many obstacles in his academic career due to racial bias and prejudice, but held several professorships and managed to publish peer-reviewed research despite this. More information on his life and achievements can be found here:
Thomas, R. (2006). “Sumner, Francis Cecil.” African American National Biography, edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr, edited by Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham. Oxford African American Studies Center. http://www.apa.org/pi/oema/resources/ethnicity-health/psychologists/sumner-prosser.aspx
