Celebrating Women’s History Month: Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser – A Pioneer in Psychology

Written by Alexa E. Austin (Black Student Association)

Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser

During March, we celebrate Women’s History Month  — not as a one-time event but as a reminder of the countless pioneers and brazen revolutionaries throughout history who were instrumental in fighting for a better future and in whose footsteps we continue to follow. One such pioneer, Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser, is noted as the first African American woman to obtain a doctoral degree in Psychology.

Born as one of 11 siblings in 1897 and hailing from Yoakum, Texas, Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser demonstrated exceptional reading abilities and a passion for learning even as a child. Subsequently, she pursued teacher training at Prairie View Normal College (now known as Prairie View A&M University, a historically black university) and began her career as an elementary school teacher in Austin, Texas. During her early teaching career, Dr. Prosser taught at elementary and secondary schools and even served as an assistant principal at a local vocational school. During that time, Dr. Prosser obtained a Bachelor of Arts and later a Master’s in Educational Psychology. Even under the backdrop of poor treatment, salary disparity, and unequal resource allocation to black teachers and students, Dr. Prosser was noted for her exceptional commitment to her students and her innovation as a teacher — all while also pursuing her graduate education. Upon earning her master’s degree, Dr. Prosser utilized her education to serve as the dean of Tillotson College, a black women’s college in Austin, Texas (now Huston-Tillotson University). In that role, Dr. Prosser dedicated herself tirelessly to the education of many African American students and sought to grow the university while partnering with other African American leaders to increase opportunities for hopeful students.

In 1931, Dr. Prosser was awarded a fellowship that enabled her to pursue doctoral studies in Educational Psychology at the University of Cincinnati. In her fellowship application, she noted that she wanted to contribute to research that would improve teacher training and, subsequently, the quality of education in elementary and high schools. Though she doubtlessly faced great prejudice and hardship at the (at the time) racially segregated University of Cincinnati, Dr. Prosser earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology in 1933. Her groundbreaking dissertation, Non-Academic Development of Negro Children in Mixed and Segregated Schools, investigated the impact of segregation on the social-emotional and academic development of African American students. In the racially segregated landscape of the 1930s, Dr. Prosser’s work explored the impact of the school environment on the well-being and adjustment of African American children — at the time a sorely overlooked subject. She examined the influence of racial prejudice on the development of Black children and thoughtfully weighed the potential risks of exposure to such prejudice versus the benefits of access to potentially higher-quality education offered by integrated schools.

Tragically, Dr. Prosser died in a car accident in 1934 at age 38, only a year after earning her Ph.D. In her short life, she was a tenacious advocate for the education of women and Black people. She contributed to the lives of countless students at all levels, and her research remains relevant today. Her legacy as an innovative and caring educator and psychologist must not be forgotten. Arguably, Dr. Prosser’s dissertation is one of many bricks in the proverbial road leading to the modern-day fight for equity in education and the acknowledgment and celebration of the cultural and ethnic identities of all students for a more inclusive and effective education system.

Helpful resources for those interested in learning more about Dr. Inez Beverly Prosser: 

Benjamin Jr, L. T., Henry, K. D., & McMahon, L. R. (2005). Inez Beverly Prosser and the education of African Americans. Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 41(1), 43-62. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jhbs.20058

Link to manuscript descriptions by the University of Akron – Cummings Center Archives:

Inez Beverly Prosser papers – Cummings Center Finding Aids – University of Akron Digital Collections (uakron.edu)

About the Author

Alexa Austin, LSSP, NCSP

Alexa Austin, LSSP, NCSP, is a specialist-level school psychologist in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As a current school psychologist and former teacher, she is passionate about equity and social justice in schools. She is a first-year student in Fielding’s General Psychology doctoral program and she is a member of the Black Student Association.