Anna Johnson Julian facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anna Johnson Julian
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Johnson in 1923
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Anna Roselle Johnson
November 24, 1901 |
| Died | July 3, 1994 (aged 92) |
| Alma mater | University of Pennsylvania |
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| Thesis | Standards of relief an analysis of one hundred family case records (1937) |
| Doctoral advisor | W. Rex Crawford |
Anna Johnson Julian (born November 24, 1903 – died July 3, 1994) was an amazing African-American woman. She was the first Black woman to earn a PhD in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1937. She also worked hard to help her community and was the fourth national president of Delta Sigma Theta, a special sorority for Black women.
In the 1930s, Anna Julian studied what made it hard for children to get a good education. She also taught sociology, which is the study of how people live together in groups, at Miner Teachers College (now the University of the District of Columbia). For her PhD, she looked at records of 100 families who needed financial help.
She was married to a famous chemist named Percy Lavon Julian. They had two children and also raised her nephew. When they moved into a nice home in Oak Park, Illinois, they faced serious challenges. People tried to scare them away, even attacking their home twice. But the Julians were brave and refused to leave. They also helped start the Chicago chapter of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which fights for justice.
Anna Julian was very involved in her community. She was a leader in groups like the Chicago Urban League and the YWCA. She also served on the board of Rosary College (now Dominican University). She passed away in Oak Park at age 90, after receiving many awards for her important work.
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Early Life and School
Anna Roselle Johnson was born on November 24, 1903, in Baltimore, Maryland. Her parents were Adelaide Scott Johnson and Charles Speare Johnson. She was one of their seven daughters.
When Anna was a young child, she got rheumatic fever. This made her start school later, in the third grade. At age 12, she moved to Philadelphia to live with her aunt and uncle. This allowed her to attend West Philadelphia High School, which was a better school than those in her hometown. It also had students of different races.
In 1919, Anna began studying for her Bachelor of Science degree in Education at the University of Pennsylvania. She joined the sorority, Delta Sigma Theta. Later, she became its fourth national president from 1929 to 1931. During her time as president, the sorority became a national organization.
Anna earned her bachelor's degree in 1923. The next year, she started a postgraduate program in sociology. She earned her master's degree in sociology in 1925.
Her Work and Contributions
In June 1925, Anna Julian became a social worker for the Family Service Association in Washington, D.C.. This was a private group that helped families in need. In 1928 and 1929, she taught in Bordentown, New Jersey. After that, she worked as a research assistant for the Public Schools of Washington. She studied what made it hard for children to learn in school. She also taught sociology at Miner Teachers College.
In 1931, Anna Julian went back to graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania. She continued to work in Washington, D.C., while taking classes in Philadelphia. She received a special scholarship called the Bloomfield Moore Fellowship. This fellowship helped women who planned to become teachers do research.
Julian passed her main PhD exam in 1935. For her doctoral research, she studied the records of 100 families who were getting financial help. She earned her PhD in 1937. This made her the first African-American woman to get a doctoral degree in sociology. Her research paper was called Standards of Relief: An Analysis of One Hundred Family Case Records.
In 1939, Julian left her job in Washington, D.C., to join her husband in Chicago. She then spent the rest of her life working to improve her community. In 1953, the Julians started Julian Laboratories. Anna worked as the vice president and bookkeeper for the company while her children were young. The business was very successful. It focused on making hormones in large amounts. Her husband, Percy Julian, was a pioneer in making medicines like corticosteroids.
Anna Julian was an Illinois delegate to the 1970 White House Conference on Children. In the 1970s and 1980s, she was on the board of Rosary College (now Dominican University). She even served two terms as chairman before retiring in 1985.
She also helped many other groups. She was the Chairman of the Women's Division of the Chicago Urban League. She was also vice president of the YWCA in Chicago. She served on the women's board of the University of Chicago. She was also a board member for MacMurray College and the Erikson Institute of Early Childhood Education. Anna Julian was also a leader in Links Inc, an African-American organization that helps communities. Anna and Percy Julian started the Chicago chapter of the NAACP's Legal Defense and Educational Fund. She was also a member of the American Sociological Society (now American Sociological Association) and the American Association of University Women.
Personal Life
Anna was married to Robert Thompson when she met Percy Lavon Julian. Percy Julian had faced unfair treatment because of his race. He could not get a job at his old school, DePauw University, or other places. Robert Thompson and Percy Julian worked together at Howard University. Percy and Anna fell in love, which led to both Thompson and Julian leaving Howard in 1932. Percy and Anna got married on December 24, 1935.
At first, they did not have much money. Anna Julian kept living and working in Washington, D.C., while she finished her PhD. Her husband took a job in Chicago. When they finally lived together, Anna learned that science could be very demanding. She said, "Dinner can be at seven or 11, as far as the true disciple of chemistry is concerned." But they both shared similar goals and values. Newspapers later called them a "power couple."
They had two children, Faith Roselle Julian and Percy Julian Jr. (who became a lawyer). They also raised Anna's nephew, Leon "Rhoddy" Ellis.
In 1950, the couple bought a large house in Oak Park, Illinois. This was a wealthy neighborhood that was mostly white. The community was known for being a bit narrow-minded. The family faced a lot of violence and threats to make them leave. Anna later said, "We were pioneers facing the wilderness...only for us, it was a human wilderness – growing from bigotry."
At first, the town refused to turn on the water to their new home. The couple also received threats. In November, while their house was being prepared, someone poured gasoline inside and threw a fire bomb. Luckily, it did not cause a big fire. The house was then guarded, but another attack happened the next June. While the Julian children were home, dynamite was thrown from a car. It landed near the house but did not hit it. The family refused to be scared away. Percy Julian said, “The right of a people to live where they want to, without fear, is more important than science.”
Anna Julian lived in the Oak Park home for the rest of her life. She saw her husband honored when a junior high school was named after him in 1985. She passed away in an Oak Park hospital on July 3, 1994.
Honors and Awards
- Phi Beta Kappa, University of Pennsylvania.
- Rita Johnson Humanitarian Award from the Family Service & Mental Health Center of Oak Park and River Forest.
- The Julians were honored by the Chicago Chapter of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund for their work for justice (1973).
- Honorary doctorates from DePauw University (1987), Rosary College (1993), and MacMurray College (1994).
- 2006 Exhibition, "From Dreams to Determination: The Legacy of Drs Percy and Anna Julian", DuSable Museum of African-American History.
Images for kids
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Members at 1921 national Delta Theta Sigma convention (l to r): front, Virginia Margaret Alexander, Julia Mae Polk, Sadie Tanner Mossell; row 2, Anna R. Johnson, Nellie Rathbone Bright; back, Pauline Alice Young
