Dorothy Lavinia Brown

Surgeon and politician

• Born: January 7, 1919
• Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Died: June 13, 2004
• Place of death: Nashville, Tennessee

In an era when women were considered ill-suited to handle the rigors of the medical profession, Brown became the first African American female surgeon in the South. She expanded her career into the political arena as the first African American woman elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives and created legislation that eventually led to the establishment of Black History Month.

Early Life

Dorothy Lavinia Brown was born to single mother Edna Brown on January 7, 1919. When Brown was five months old, her mother placed her in Troy Orphanage in New York. A tonsillectomy when she was five years old sparked Brown’s interest in the medical profession and a desire to become a physician. She remained at the orphanage until she was thirteen years of age, when her mother reappeared and attempted to regain custody of her. After Brown made several attempts to run away, Samuel Wesley and Lola Redmon became her foster parents when she was fifteen. Her foster parents provided a nurturing environment in which education was valued.

After graduating from Troy High School in 1937, Brown earned a scholarship to Bennett College in Greensboro, North Carolina, from the Women’s Division of Christian Service of the Methodist Church. The women’s group wished to send an African American woman to college and remained influential throughout Brown’s academic career. Her teachers at Bennett urged her to enter the education field and discouraged her pursuit of science and medicine. Brown obtained her bachelor of arts degree in 1941 and ranked second in her class. In order to save money for medical school, she served as an inspector for the Rochester Army Ordnance Department during World War II; she was one of a few African American women in this position.

Two years later, with support from the Methodist group, Brown enrolled at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee. She excelled again, ranking near the top of her class and becoming the first woman to receive a medical degree in surgery from the institution. Upon graduation in 1948, Brown interned at Harlem Hospital but was denied the opportunity to continue her surgical residency there; her colleagues did not believe a woman could handle the position. She obtained residency for general surgery at Meharry Medical College and George W. Hubbard Hospital after convincing the surgery chair, Dr. Matthew Walker, of her capabilities. Walker nicknamed her “Mule Brown” for her stubborn perseverance.

Life’s Work

After completing her residency, Brown was granted a surgical position at Meharry Hospital in 1954, thus becoming the first African American female surgeon in the southern United States; she also was one of the few African Americans to be named a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. In 1955, she was promoted to assistant professor of surgery, and in 1957, she was named chief of surgery at Riverside Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, a position she held until 1983. Throughout her twenty-five-year tenure, Brown also served as director of student health services at Meharry and educational director of the Riverside-Meharry Clinical Rotation Program.

Brown’s medical beliefs and values brought her into the political arena in 1966. She was approached to be a candidate for representative of the Tennessee fifth district and became the first African American elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives. During her term, she proposed legislation to legalize abortion for victims of rape or incest. Although the bill was defeated by a margin of two votes, it paved the way for future women’s rights legislation. Brown additionally sponsored bills that established Negro Heritage Week in Tennessee, which evolved into the national Black History Month. In 1968, Brown ran for a seat in the Tennessee Senate but was defeated. She retired from politics and returned to focusing solely on medicine.

Brown never married. In 1956, she adopted a daughter, Lola Denise, becoming the first known single mother to adopt a child in Tennessee. Brown’s daughter was named in honor of her foster mother. She later adopted a son, Kevin. Brown died of congestive heart failure on June 13, 2004.

Significance

Brown overcame several barriers with regard to social, racial and gender issues. Despite her lack of support for a medical career from authoritative figures, she pursued her passion to become a physician. She is admired because her perseverance to follow her dreams and beliefs extended from medicine to politics and education. She understood the importance of educating Tennesseans on African American culture and therefore paved the way for Black History Month, which to this day serves to raise awareness and celebrate the significance of the African American community to American culture and history. Her proposed legislature on abortion rights remains relevant in current society, where the issues are still debated.

Bibliography

Kent, Jacqueline C. “Dorothy Lavinia Brown: Beating the Odds.” In Women in Medicine. Minneapolis, Minn.: Oliver Press, 1998. Collection of biographies for young readers that includes a chapter on Brown.

Lunardini, Christine A. “Dorothy Lavinia Brown.” In Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia, edited by Darlene Clark Hine. 2d ed. 2 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Includes a comprehensive biography of Brown and description of her accomplishments.

Riley, Wayne J. “Diversity in the Health Professions Matters: The Untold Story of Meharry Medical College.” Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved 19, no. 2 (May, 2008): 331-342. Details the history of Meharry Medical College, including notable accomplishments of African American graduates and faculty such as Brown.

Windsor, Laura Lynn. Women in Medicine: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2002. Bibliographical information for Dorothy Brown, as well as over 200 other important female figures in medicine.