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YSPH Celebrates Black History Month

In celebration of Black History Month, the YSPH Office of Alumni Affairs invites you to view a new exhibit on display in the lobby of LEPH, 60 College Street.  This exhibit celebrates the life and accomplishments of Cortlandt Van Rensselaer Creed, M.D. Class of 1857.

Dr. Creed was the first African-American to receive a degree, in any discipline, from Yale University. Since there was no formal study in public health, at that time, he pursued a degree in medicine. Dr. Creeds motivation to obtain his M.D. was in response to his interest in public health.

In order to fully appreciate the accomplishments of Dr. Creed, it is essential to contextualize the time period within which he lived. This exhibit presents a time line that highlights a variety of Dr. Creeds accomplishments coinciding with some significant historical events within the United States of America.

This exhibit is offered to you in celebration of this remarkable alumnus and in celebration of our strengths as a diverse community.  A second installation is forthcoming in mid-February and will celebrate more of our talented alumni.

Black History Month serves as a remembrance of important people and events in U.S. history.  It was established in 1976 by the Afro-Americans for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. The month-long celebration was an expansion of Negro History Week, established in 1926 by historian Carter G. Woodson. Woodson was the Director of what was then known as the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. Woodson purposely selected the week in February that embraced the birthdays of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.  Part of the aim of Black History Month is to expose the harms of racial prejudice and to cultivate black self-esteem following centuries of socio-economic oppression. It presents a wonderful opportunity to recognize significant contributions to society made by people of African heritage.