As we celebrate Black History Month, it’s important to pause and remember the achievements by Black Americans and their critical, central role in United States history. Here, we spotlight Ella P. Stewart—a pharmacist, entrepreneur, clubwoman, civic reformer, goodwill ambassador, civil rights leader, and women's rights advocate.
Ella P. Stewart
Ella Nora Philips Stewart was one of the first Black American female pharmacists in the US. She was born March 6th, 1893 during a period of strict, racial segregation. She attended a high school in West Virginia which was the only school in the region that accepted students of all races. After graduating high school, Stewart married a fellow graduate. Their only child, Virginia, died from whooping cough, and the couple went on to divorce.
Though educated to be a teacher, Stewart went on to work as a pharmacy bookkeeper which led her to pursue her career as a pharmacist. Though initially turned down, she convinced the admissions staff at University of Pittsburgh to let her enroll in their pharmacist program. In 1916 she was the first Black woman to graduate from the School of Pharmacy at University of Pittsburgh. Despite being segregated from other students, Steward graduated with high marks, passing her state exam. After becoming the first Black woman licensed to practice pharmacology in the state of Pennsylvania, Stewart worked at the general hospital and managed a drugstore which she later purchased. She went on to purchase another drugstore, though because of health issues, ended up selling to a fellow pharmacy school graduate, William Stewart, whom she married in 1920.
The couple moved to Youngstown, Ohio, and Stewart applied for a pharmacist position at a local hospital advertised as being open to whites only. She got the job, and her employment helped influence the elimination of discriminatory practices at the hospital. Some time later after also living in Detroit, the Stewarts moved to Toledo, Ohio and opened the first Black-owned drugstore there called Stewart’s Pharmacy in 1922.
Committed to advancing people in the Black community, the Stewarts opened their apartment above their pharmacy to host club and organization meetings as well as welcome Black travelers who were turned down by local hotels. Stewart served as president of the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) who’s effective lobbying led to passage of anti-lynching and anti-poll tax legislation, fair employment practices legislation, equal opportunity for housing and education, the support of black-owned businesses, and the development and expansion of endowment and scholarship funds for young black women. Stewart also served as the commissioner to UNESCO and vice president of the U.S. Chapter of the Pan-Pacific and Southeast Asia Women’s Association (and its international vice president). In the early 1950’s, she went on to serve on the U.S. Department of Labor’s Women’s Advisory Board. Stewart was also active in her local Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), Toledo League of Women Voters (the first African-American member), the League of City Mothers, the Toledo Council of Churches, and The Enterprise Charity Club (a black women's philanthropic club which provided assistance to Toledo families). Stewart received the Distinguished Alumni Award from University of Pittsburgh and was inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame in 1978. Of her many awards and recognitions, the one that she treasured the most was the naming of a Toledo elementary school after her—the Ella P. Stewart Academy for Girls.
Stewart’s motto was "Fight for human dignity and world peace." Despite tragedy and much discrimination throughout her life, she continued to press on to overcome educational and career barriers and to help achieve basic human rights both for herself and other Black Americans. Her fight for justice has left an immeasurable legacy both for pharmacy and civil rights as well as local, national, and global policies.
Sources and further reading:
Pharmacist and Civil Rights Leader: The Life of Ella P. Stewart. Ohio History Connection. https://ohiomemory.ohiohistory.org/archives/5315
MS 203 - Ella P. Stewart Collection. BGSU University Libraries. https://lib.bgsu.edu/finding_aids/items/show/795
Stewart, Ella 1893–1987. Encyclopedia.com. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/stewart-ella-1893-1987
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