The annals of veterinary medical history rarely mention the presence of African American veterinarians and other minorities.
In recognition of Black History Month, we spotlight prominent Black veterinarians who have taken giant leaps in veterinary medicine, sharing the incredible contributions they have made over the years.
Despite demographic data indicating that the United States is moving rapidly toward a multicultural society, recruitment programs to increase the number of African American students and faculty at the 27 US veterinary colleges have not kept pace with the declared goals of ethnic diversity.
If the needs of a changing culture are to be met, veterinary medical education must look toward more ethnic inclusion in the student body and faculty.
Between 1889 and 1948, records show, a meager 70 African Americans graduated from veterinary schools in the United States and Canada.
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It was not until the veterinary school at Tuskegee (Institute) University was established in 1945 that a significant increase in the number of African American veterinarians occurred in the United States, and over the ensuing years their participation in every facet of the profession has been striking.
Their employment in various areas of the profession and their successful performance in the workforce have done much to dispel stereotypical perceptions about minorities.
Being that African American men and women only make up less than 3% of the total veterinary population, the world is now striving for racial diversity in this field.
Sadly, this profession continues to struggle with diversity, with only 2.1% of veterinarians being Black to this day.
NVA is partnering with the National Association for Black Veterinarians (NABV) to advocate and support black professionals in veterinary medicine at all levels.
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Fostering a culture of belonging and inclusion is a top priority for NVA.
While celebrating black history is important, we believe working toward a better, more inclusive future is equally crucial.
This year’s theme, “African Americans and Labor,” explores the diverse and impactful contributions of Black Americans in the workforce throughout history.
Let's delve into the stories of some remarkable individuals who have shaped veterinary medicine.
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Early Pioneers in Veterinary Medicine
In the United States, the man believed to be the first Black veterinary school graduate to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree was Dr. Augustus Lushington.
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Originally trained as an educator, Augustus Lushington lived and worked in his native Trinidad as a teacher and principal before moving to Venezuela to take a position as a clerk.
Born in Trinidad in 1869, Dr. Lushington moved to New York in 1889 for agriculture and pre-medicine studies.
He settled in New York, where he married Elizabeth Gavino Hubert, whose friends helped Dr. Lushington enroll in Cornell University.
After graduating with a degree in agriculture from Cornell, Dr. Lushington earned his DVM from the University of Pennsylvania in 1897, making him, along with Harvard graduate Henry L. Dr. Henry Stockton Lewis quickly followed, as the first American-born Black graduate of veterinary school, from Harvard, in 1889.
Earning his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1897, Dr. Lushington moved to the United States from Trinidad when he was 20 years old.
After graduating, Dr. Lushington moved his family to Rock Castle, Virginia, to work at the Agricultural College, before he went on to open his own practice in Lynchburg.
He returned to private practice in the Lynchburg, VA, area.
Dr. Lushington perservered, and he would go on to work for the Bureau of Animal Industry and the Federal Department of Agriculture.
Their graduation did not open the floodgates, but slowly, more schools began to admit Black veterinarians.
More than 30 years after Dr. Lushington’s groundbreaking entry into vet med, Dr. Frederick Douglass Patterson changed vet med forever.
Dr. Edward B Evans graduated from Iowa State College (now University) veterinary school in 1918, and became the first African American veterinarian to be licensed in the state of Texas.
There started to be a shift when Dr.
Orphaned before he was two years of age and raised by an older sister who encouraged him to get an education, Dr. Patterson received his veterinary degree from Iowa State University and his doctorate from Cornell.
Dr. Patterson was born in the same neighborhood as abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass.
Dr. Frederick Douglass Patterson, on prodding from his teacher and friend Dr. Evans, went to vet school at Iowa State College where he obtained both his DVM and Masters in 1923.
He then went to Cornell and earned his Doctorate of Philosophy in Veterinary Pathology.
From there, he taught veterinary medicine at Virginia State College, while serving as the Director of the Department of Agriculture.
With a DVM from Iowa State and a doctorate in philosophy from Cornell, Dr. Patterson became president of the Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1935, and expanded the programs offered by the school to include culinary arts, engineering, and the famous aviation program.
He went on to serve as president of the Tuskegee Institute and oversaw the school’s transformation to Tuskegee University.
In 1935, he became the third president of the Tuskegee Institute, and was instrumental in the development of several key programs including the famous Tuskegee School of Aviation.
Together with his friend Dr. Evans, he founded the Tuskegee Institute (University) School of Veterinary Medicine in 1945, which has gone on to graduate over 75% of Black veterinarians in the United States.
Under his leadership, the program at Tuskegee was so superior that Alabama paid to have white students attend-unheard of in the segregated South of the time.
Dr. Patterson also was the founder of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), which administers 10,000 scholarships every year.
Kirksey Curd, D.V.M. 1912, was born in Kentucky and was Cornell's first African American veterinary graduate.
After receiving his D.V.M. Dr.
Dr. Brown was the first black veterinarian to earn his DVM degree at Kansas State.
Dr. Brown was head of the Division of Agricultural Instruction at the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, during 1912 and 1913.
Dr. Williams began his veterinary medical career in private practice in Kansas City, Kansas and served on the faculty at Prarie View College, Texas, as assistant veterinarian.
He was employed by the Federal Meat Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture in Des Moines, Iowa.
Breaking Gender Barriers
Dr. Alfreda Johnson Webb and Dr. Jane Hinton were the first Black women to earn DVM degrees in the United States.
In 1949, Dr. Alfreda Johnson Webb became the African American woman to receive her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM), making her the first woman to graduate from Tuskegee Institute and the first African American woman to graduate from any school of veterinary medicine in the United States.
Dr. Webb was the first female graduate of the Tuskegee Veterinary College and, along with University of Pennsylvania graduate Dr. Jane Hinton, became one of the first female Black veterinarians in the US in 1949.
She wasn’t just passionate about animals and education.
Dr. Johnson Webb was the first woman to graduate from the Tuskegee Institute School of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Webb was the first female graduate of the Tuskegee Veterinary College and, along with University of Pennsylvania graduate Dr. Jane Hinton, became one of the first female Black veterinarians in the US in 1949.
