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"TRAVELING EXHIBIT PAYS HOMAGE TO AFRICAN AMERICANS IN DENTISTRY" The exhibit, at the California African American Museum through November 27, chronicles the struggles and achievements of African Americans in the oral health professions. “The Future is Now” premiered in 2002 at the National Museum of Dentistry in Baltimore where it was viewed by more than 20,000 visitors.
“Through this exhibit, we have been able to forge new relationships and create a learning tool that helps our young people understand the important roles African Americans have played and continue to play in the dental community,” said Rosemary Fetter, executive director of the National Museum of Dentistry. The exhibit includes dramatic portraits, moving memoirs and inspirational stories of individual and collective achievement of African Americans in dentistry. Of particular interest is “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants” that focuses on ten prominent achievers in the field of dentistry. This section also includes an audio component featuring the stories of Jeanne Craig Sinkford, the first female dean of an American dental school, and Dummett, a preeminent dental historian and educator. Special to the national tour is a new section of the exhibit entitled “Hometown Heroes” that celebrates the achievements of local African American dental pioneers. The Los Angeles stop recognizes four individuals, two of whom are alumni of USC—John Alexander Somerville and his wife, Vada Watson Somerville. In 1907, John Somerville became the first African American to graduate from the USC School of Dentistry. Originally from Jamaica , Somerville quickly became a prominent member of the Los Angeles community. In addition to his very successful private practice, he made significant contributions to the landscape of the young city by developing upscale properties, such as the luxurious Somerville Hotel, in areas where such projects were previously unheard of. A noted philanthropist, Somerville was instrumental in opening the Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP for which he served as vice-president. He was also the first African American member of the Chamber of Commerce and the first to be appointed to the Los Angeles Police Commission. His wife, Vada Somerville, was successful in her own right. In 1918, she became the first African American woman to graduate from the USC School of Dentistry. A native of Pomona , she joined her husband's practice for twelve years before turning her attention to civic duty. She held numerous appointments including vice-president of the National Council of Negro Women, executive board member of the Los Angeles League of Women Voters and first president of the Los Angeles Chapter of Links, Inc., an international organization for professional women of color who are active in their community. The Somervilles are joined in the Hometown Heroes section by H. Claude Hudson, noted NAACP activist, legal scholar and co-founder of Broadway Federal Savings, and Alva C. Garrott, the first African American dentist in Los Angeles County . Both men were graduates of the Howard University College of Dentistry. Dummett, who served as a special consultant during the creation of the exhibit, is the author of over a dozen historical texts focusing primarily on African Americans in dentistry—a history in which he played a prominent role. In 1947, at the age of 28, he became the youngest dental dean of any institution when he took the helm at the Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry. He is the founder of the USC's Community Dentistry Department, a past president of the International Association for Dental Research and an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine . As an African American dentist in the South, he fought discrimination and resisted the continued segregation of his profession at a time when doing so could have serious repercussions. “I never resented the fight, that was part of my disposition. What I resented was the discrimination. I treated everyone with respect, but at the same time I demanded it. Living in the South at the time, Lois often wonders how it is that I'm still alive,” recalls Dummett with a chuckle. For Dummett, the success of the exhibit is not measured by critical accolades or the number of people who see it. Its success will be gauged by the number of young people it inspires. “That is the idea. It is a wonderful exhibit and hopefully young people will see it and it will spark an interest in considering dentistry as a lifetime career,” says Dummett. The California African American Museum is at Figueroa and State Drive in Exposition Park . The museum is open Wednesday to Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm . Admission is free. |
