Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser was a psychologist best known for becoming the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in psychology. Dr. Prosser was always drawn to education and had a strong desire to attend college, but due to finances her family only planned to send her older brother to college. Her brother convinced their parents to pay for her to attend college at Prairie View A&M University. She earned her teaching certificate taught while working on her bachelor’s degree. She ultimately earned her master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Cincinnati. Her dissertation on school integration concluded that Black children in integrated schools had a harder time socially — which was controversial in the time before Brown v. Board in 1954. Throughout her teaching career, Prosser assisted several Black students with attaining loans and funds for college.
Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser, PhD
Psychologist