Women Keep Making History
From Mary Jane Patterson who was the first African American woman to receive a bachelor’s degree in 1862 to Federal Appeals Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson who is being nominated for the U.S. Supreme Court, women are being remembered for making history in March. With President Biden’s nomination of Judge Jackson, when seated, she will become the first Black woman to sit on Supreme Court in more than 200 years, be the current court\’s second Black member, and only the third in history.
Paving the way for Jackson was Mary Jane Patterson. Born into slavery in 1840 in South Carolina, she was the first African American woman to receive a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College in 1862. Upon graduation, she worked as a teacher for the town of Chillicothe, Ohio and then went on to teach at three other institutions. In 1871, she became the principal of the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth (now the Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Washington, DC). Aside from being an incredible educator, she was also heavily involved in women’s rights and helped found the Colored Women’s League of Washington, D.C. Her perseverance, strength, and dedication earned her the titles she achieved and shows just how important professional growth was in 1862, just as it is today.
The 2022 Women\’s History theme, “Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” is both a tribute to the ceaseless work of caregivers and frontline workers during this ongoing pandemic and also a recognition of the thousands of ways that women of all cultures have provided both healing and hope throughout history. Pearl honors all women and their accomplishments, including those of us who are providing mental health counseling and COVID support right now. We encourage our employees to be the best version of themselves, both personally and professionally, and utilize the knowledge they gain to help others.