Adelaide M. Cromwell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Adelaide M. Cromwell
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Adelaide Gulliver, from a 1978 publication
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| Born | November 27, 1919 |
| Died | June 8, 2019 (aged 99) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Adelaide Cromwell Hill Adelaide Cromwell Gulliver |
| Alma mater | Smith College University of Pennsylvania Radcliffe College |
| Occupation | Sociologist, Educator |
| Spouse(s) | Henry A. Hill Philip H. Gulliver |
| Children | Anthony Cromwell Hill |
Adelaide McGuinn Cromwell (November 27, 1919 – June 8, 2019) was an important American sociologist and a professor at Boston University. She helped start the African Studies Center there in 1959. She also led the Afro-American studies program from 1969 to 1985.
Adelaide Cromwell was a pioneer. She was the first African-American teacher at Hunter College and at Smith College. In 1974, she became the first African-American Library Commissioner for Massachusetts. She wrote several books about Black history, including a special study about Boston's Black upper class. She passed away in June 2019 when she was 99 years old.
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Early Life and Education
Adelaide Cromwell was born on November 27, 1919, in Washington, D.C.. She came from a well-known family. Her grandfather, John Wesley Cromwell, was a famous civil rights activist and educator. Her father, John Wesley Cromwell Jr., was the first Black certified public accountant in Washington, D.C.
Her aunt, Otelia Cromwell, was the first Black person to graduate from Smith College. Her cousin, Edward Brooke, became a Senator for Massachusetts. He was also the first Black State Attorney General chosen by popular vote.
Adelaide went to Dunbar High School and graduated in 1936. She then studied sociology at Smith College, earning her degree in 1940. She continued her studies at the University of Pennsylvania, getting her master's degree in sociology in 1941. She also earned a special certificate from Bryn Mawr College. In 1946, she received her Ph.D. in sociology from Radcliffe College.
Her Career and Contributions
After finishing her studies, Adelaide Cromwell started teaching sociology at Hunter College. She was the first African-American instructor there. She also broke barriers again by teaching at Smith College in the late 1940s.
In 1951, she joined the faculty at Boston University. She taught sociology there until 1985. In 1959, she helped create the university's African Studies Center. From 1969 to 1985, she was in charge of the African-American Studies program.
International Work
In 1960, Cromwell traveled to Ghana. There, she organized the first meeting of social workers from West Africa. She also served on a committee that looked at higher education in the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
In 1974, she was named the Library Commissioner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She was the first African American to hold this important position. In 1983, she organized a conference at the University of Liberia for leaders and experts.
Community and Historical Work
Adelaide Cromwell was part of many important groups. She was on the executive council of the American Society of African Culture. She was also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the African Studies Association.
She was the president of the Heritage Guild, which she helped start in 1975. This group works to find, save, and share Boston's Black history. At that time, many people in Boston did not know about important places like the African Meeting House. They also didn't know that Boston's West End was once a major center for the abolitionist movement.
The Heritage Guild helped people learn about these historical sites. They also highlighted the achievements of people like Butler R. Wilson, who started the Boston NAACP. Cromwell wrote several books about Black history, including The Other Brahmins, a study of Boston's Black upper class. In 2015, the Massachusetts Historical Commission honored her for her work.
Honors and Awards
Adelaide Cromwell received many awards for her contributions:
- Citation from the National Order of Côte d'Ivoire
- Smith College Medal
- Carter G. Woodson Medal from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History
- Honorary degrees from Southeastern Massachusetts University, George Washington University, Boston University, and Smith College
- Historic Preservation Award from the Massachusetts Historical Commission in 2015
Selected Writings
Articles
- Barbour, Floyd B., ed. (1970). "Black Education in the Seventies: A Lesson From the Past". The Black Seventies. Porter Sargent Publishers. pp. 51–67.
