Black History Month – Part 1

Black Women in America

Black History Month

February is Black History Month. One reason for setting aside a month to recognize the achievements of a special group is because that group has not been sufficiently appreciated for their contributions to society. There are many reasons why some groups get overlooked. Unfortunately, black women have not been overlooked because they are so rare; they have been overlooked because there is still an unreasonable prejudice against them.

Since I am starting a new series on “Black Women in America”, I think that now is the time to take advantage of Black History Month and present the stories of some remarkable black women. There are so many hundreds (thousands!) to choose from. Since one of the unfair biases against black women is that they are perceived as not as intelligent as white people, men or women, I decided to begin my series with black women who have earned a Ph.D.  It is time to recognize that black women have always had strong abilities. We miss that fact because their stories have not been told and they have been denied opportunities unfairly. In the future, I pray that many, many more black women will be given the chance to pursue education, careers, and all of their dreams. 

This first week in Black History Month we will honor a very courageous black woman for achieving something that very few people achieve – a Ph.D. Eva Beatrice Dykes was the first black woman to complete the requirements for a Ph.D. Because Radcliffe, Eva’s University, held their graduation later in the spring, two other black women who completed the requirements – Georgiana Rose Simpson and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander – would receive their degrees a few days earlier becoming the first and second black women in America to receive their degrees at commencement.^[1]

This week we will look at the remarkable story of Eva B. Dykes, a gifted teacher and musician who was committed to her faith and education, especially among young people.

Eva B. Dykes – 1893- 1986

Eva B. Dykes was born on August 13, 1893, in Washington, D.C. Both of her parents, Martha Ann Howard and James Stanley Dykes attended Howard University where they met and were married. James Dykes left the family when Eva was a small child. Her uncle, Dr. James Howard stepped in and became like a father to Eva and her two sisters.

Eva received a good education. After graduating from high school, she followed in her parents’ footsteps and attended Howard University. In 1914 Eva graduated with a B.A., summa cum laude. She was the first student to graduate from Howard with that distinction. She was the valedictorian for her class and was voted the most versatile student by her senior class. 

Eva taught at Walden University for one year. Dr. Howard convinced her to enter Radcliffe, at that time the female college at Harvard University where she graduated with a second B.A. in 1917 (magna cum laude) and a M.A. in 1918. She was accepted as a member of Phi Beta Kappa while at Radcliffe.  

After her family had moved in with her uncle, Eva showed a gift for music. Dr. Howard bought her a piano and she practiced diligently every day starting at 6 AM! She became an accomplished musician. By age seven she was playing piano and organ on Sundays for local church services. Eva and her mother had attended a Methodist church, but her uncle was an Adventist. They attended his church and were impressed with the new minister. Eva was baptized in the Adventist church in1920. This changed the focus of her life. She would always put her faith first. 

While at Radcliffe, Eva specialized in English, Latin, German, and Greek language studies. On March 21, 1921, Eva completed the oral defense of her 644-page dissertation entitled “Alexander Pope and His influence in America from 1715 to 1815”. This paper explored Pope’s attitude towards slavery and his influence on American writers. Thus, Eva became the first black woman in America to complete the requirements for a PhD. She received the degree at Radcliffe’s commencement on June 22, 1921. However, Georgiana Simpson’s commencement was June 14 and Sadie Tanner Mossell’s commencement was June 15.  Nevertheless, Eva was the first black student to graduate with a doctorate at Radcliffe and the first black female to receive a Ph.D. in English Philology. 

After Eva graduated from Radcliffe, she continued to teach at Dunbar High School until 1929. Then she returned to Howard University as a member of the English Faculty, remaining there for 15 years. She won many teaching awards. Among her publications are, Readings from Negro Authors for Schools and Colleges co-authored with Lorenzo Dow Turner and Otelia Cromwell (1931) and The Negro in English Romantic Thought: Or a Study in Sympathy for the Oppressed (1942). In 1934 Eva began writing for the Seventh-day Adventist periodical Message Magazine, the Adventist missionary magazine for African American^[2] readers. She continued to contribute to a column for fifty years until 1984.

In 1944, Eva made the decision to join the faculty at Oakwood College. It was just a fledgling college, not even accredited, but it was the Adventist college for black students and Eva wanted to help. She took a huge cut in pay, earning only $41/week. She later said that she never regretted her decision. Her contributions to the school as well as just her presence as a Ph.D. on the faculty eventually helped Oakwood College to become accredited.

While at Oakwood Dr. Eva Dykes became known as a difficult but fair teacher. She spent extra time helping the students who did not speak English well. Many became leaders in society and gave her credit for their success. Eva retired in 1968 but was convinced to return again in 1970 where she continued until 1975. In 1973 the college named their newly completed library in her honor.

In 1947 Eva founded and directed the Aeolians, a musical group of the college. This group gave impressive performances at large churches and camp meetings. Long after her death the Aeolians were still performing. In 2017, Dr. Eva was given a tribute when the Oakwood Aeolians competed in a world competition in Wales. “The Welsh Eisteddfod was created in 1947, the same year Dr. Dykes created the Aeolians, to help bring peace through music to a world torn apart by World War II.”^[3] The group won first prize under the direction of Dr. Jason Max Ferdinand. 

Dr. Eva B. Dykes died at her beloved college in Huntsville, Alabama on October 29, 1986, at the age of ninety-three. Hundreds gathered to celebrate her life including educators, administrators, the college choir, family members and many students. Jannith Lewis, the director of the Eva B. Dykes Library at Oakwood summed up Eva’s legacy this way:

“She was dynamic, inspiring, exacting, tireless, an excellent role model. She used Jesus Christ as her model. She was a great ‘little giant,’ small in stature but large in heart.”^[4]

I am honored to tell the story of this faithful, dedicated black woman. Many more will follow in the coming weeks.

---

^[1] We will explore the lives of these other two remarkable women in our next two posts.

^[2] The terms “Negro” and “African American” have been replaced by the term “black”. In my post, I leave the terms as they were used historically. It is a part of history. Worth thinking about.

^[3] From the Encyclopedia of Seventh-Day Adventists, Dykes, “Eva Beatrice (1893-1986)” by DeWitt s. Williams at https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=ACG5

^[4] From the Encyclopedia of Seventh-Day Adventists, Dykes, “Eva Beatrice (1893-1986)” by DeWitt s. Williams at https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=ACG5