Hidden Figures: Anna Louise James #BlackHERstoryMonth 4/28 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Anna Louise James #BlackHERstoryMonth 4/28

If you enjoy my work, please consider supporting! CashApp: $SerenSensei Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei Anna Louise James (January 19, 1886 - 1977) was the first female and first Black American woman pharmacist in Connecticut. She operated the James Pharmacy in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, for fifty years. Anna Louise James was born on January 19, 1886 in Hartford, Connecticut to Willis Samuel James and Anna Houston, who were escaped former slaves. Anna’s mother died when she was 8, and she was subsequently raised by her father and older sister, Bertha; she attended primary school in Hartford before the family moved to Old Saybrook, Connecticut. The James family was one of the few Black families living in Old Saybrook, where Anna graduated from the local high school in 1905. Peter Lane, the husband of Anna’s sister Bertha, opened the first drugstore in Old Saybrook shortly after the family moved there. Anna attended the Brooklyn College of Pharmacy as the only woman in her class, becoming the first Black American woman graduate in 1908. The following year she became the first Black American woman to be licensed as a pharmacist in Connecticut. After graduating, Anna joined her brother-in-law in his drug store in 1911, and in 1918 she took over the pharmacy, making her both the first female and first Black American woman pharmacist in Connecticut. She became the sole owner in 1922 and renamed it James Pharmacy. James became a central figure in Saybrook, and her pharmacy was considered a community gathering place. In 1920, she also became one of the first women to register to vote in Old Saybrook, and was very politically active. In 1974, the Old Saybrook Veterans of Foreign Wars honored her as Citizen of the Year, noting her generosity, hospitality, and compassion. In 1967, at the age of 81, she retired and closed the pharmacy, continuing to live upstairs until her death in 1977. In 1994, the James Pharmacy received a listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is a featured stop on the Connecticut Freedom Trail. Her papers reside in Cambridge, Mass., at Radcliffe College's Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America; donated by Ann Petry, they are used to help trace the social history of Black women in the United States. The collection includes diaries, newspaper clippings, a family history, letters and a photograph of a young Miss James behind the marble counter of the soda fountain. James' niece, Ann Lane Petry, is a writer, whose debut novel The Street was the first novel by a Black American woman to sell more than a million copies. In addition to The Street, Petry wrote five other books including Country Place, a novel inspired by her experiences growing up in Old Saybrook, and The Drug Store Cat, which she based on her memories of working at James Pharmacy. Ann Petry is the daughter of her sister Bertha and brother in law, Peter Lane. #HiddenFigures #AnnaLouiseJames ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren https://www.shophouseof950.com/embroidery-tees/theblackamericans https://www.shophouseof950.com/embroidery-tees/dacs?rq=d.a.c.s Follow me on social media! Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: James Pharmacy B&B: https://jamespharmacybnb.com/our-history https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g33878-d8052391-Reviews-James_Pharmacy_Bed_Breakfast_and_Gelateria-Old_Saybrook_Connecticut.html 'Hidden History - Connecticut’s first female pharmacist, Anna Louise James:' https://www.wtnh.com/news/hidden-history-connecticuts-first-female-pharmacist-anna-louise-james/ 'Anna Louise James Makes History with Medicine:' https://connecticuthistory.org/anna-louise-james-makes-history-with-medicine/ 'Connecticut’s First African-American Woman Pharmacist:' https://todayincthistory.com/2021/01/19/january-19-connecticuts-first-african-american-woman-pharmacist/ 'Anna Louise James: A Pioneer African-American Female Pharmacist:' https://www.amberpharmacy.com/anna-louise-james-a-pioneer-african-american-female-pharmacist/ 'What Did It Take?: The Story of Anna Louise James:' https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26007848-what-did-it-take Anna Louise James: https://chs.org/anna-louise-james/ Anna Louise James (Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Louise_James