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Although Benjamin Franklin founded the University of Pennsylvania
in 1749, it was not until 1879 that the first African Americans-four
young men- entered the University to pursue formal academic
study. In spite of the longstanding presence of African Americans
on Penn's campus, African Diasporic study remains a relatively
new field of inquiry at the University.
The early history of these disciplines at Penn is characterized by the work of scholars and students who sought to explore the history, culture, and life of
African peoples, almost exclusively without the benefit of institutionalized courses. The work of these pioneers helped pave the way for the institutionalization
of African American and African Diaspora Studies that was to come much later at the University of Pennsylvania.
In 1886 the first known course on African peoples, Ethiopic, the language of Ethiopia, was offered as part of the Semitic languages division of the graduate School
of Philosophy. Some time later the University community was introduced to the study of African Americans by the undergraduate Wharton School. As part of its
public lectures of the 1895-1896 academic year, the Wharton School brought the Rev. A.B. Hunter to campus to speak on "The Future of the Negro in the South."
During the same year the school brought one of the South's senior statesmen - Booker Taliaferro Washington - to speak on "The Negro Question."
In 1896 the University offered its first course on African Americans,
"The Condition of the Negro in Philadelphia," taught by Professor
Samuel Lindsay of the Department of Sociology. It was also in
1896, largely through the efforts of Professor Lindsay, that
Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois came to the University of Pennsylvania to
study African Americans in Philadelphia's seventh ward. The
results of his research, The Philadelphia Negro:
A Social Study, was published by the University
in 1899. The Philadelphia Negro is
perhaps one of the most important books in the American sociological
canon because in it Du Bois sought to apply "scientific" observation,
theory, and method to the study of the nineteenth century's
"Negro Problem."
The early 1900s saw the addition of a few courses in African
American Studies at the University. During the 1910-1911 academic
year "Race Ascendancy and Decay" was taught in the Wharton undergraduate
section, "Race Problems and Criminology" during the 1912-1913
academic year, and "Anthropology of the Negro" during the 1924-1925
academic year. This period was, however, remarkable in the presence
of Sadie Tanner Mossell, one of the University's most celebrated
students and alumnae.
Sadie Tanner Mossell, known as Sadie Tanner Alexander after
her marriage, was a second generation University of Pennsylvania
student. An accomplished scholar, Alexander received a total
of five degrees from the University: a B.S. in 1918; a M.A.
in 1919; a Ph.D. in 1921; a bachelor of law degree in 1927;
and an honorary doctorate in 1974. Her early contribution to
the study of African Americans is evidenced in her economics
dissertation, "The Standard of Living Among One Hundred
Negro Migrant Families in Philadelphia". Her study, both
investigative and prescriptive, served to draw attention to
the plight of African American migrant families and the manner
in which their living conditions might be improved.
In 1936 William Fontaine completed his doctoral studies in philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania. Fontaine joined the University faculty as a
lecturer in 1947, and in 1949 the University granted him what it had denied Du Bois' a regular professorship' thus making him, the first fully affiliated
African American member of the faculty. In 1963 Fontaine became the first African American faculty member to be granted tenure. He remained at the
University until his death in 1968. In honor of this first tenured African American faculty member, the University instituted the Fontaine Fellowships,
which are awarded to students of color pursuing doctoral studies at Penn.
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