Keturah Whitehurst facts for kids
Keturah Whitehurst (born March 12, 1912 – died May 20, 2000) was a very important African American clinical psychologist. She earned her PhD in psychology from Radcliffe in 1952. Many people call Keturah Whitehurst "the mother of Black psychology" because of her pioneering work.
Early Life and Learning
Keturah Whitehurst was born in Florida in 1912. Her father was a preacher. Her grandfather had bravely escaped enslavement in Alabama. Keturah was an only child.
When she was 11, Keturah started attending a faith-based boarding school in Jacksonville, Florida. This was because the local schools were segregated. This meant Black and white children went to separate schools. The school for Black children was not as good as the one for white children.
Keturah finished this school in 1928 when she was 16. She was the valedictorian, meaning she was the top student in her class. With her father's help, Keturah began college at Howard University in Washington D.C. She was 19 years old in 1931.
College and Career
After three and a half years, Keturah earned her Bachelor of Arts degree. She studied English and Psychology. After graduating, Keturah went home to work. She wanted to save money for more schooling. During this time, she worked as a vice-principal and a teacher.
A former professor encouraged her to return to Howard University for graduate school. He even gave her a fellowship, which is like a special scholarship. While at Howard, a professor named Francis Sumner suggested she get a doctorate degree. This is the highest university degree. A general education fellowship helped pay for her studies.
She earned her Master of Science degree in experimental psychology at Howard. This type of psychology studies how the mind works through experiments. After that, she worked for several years before going back to college. She taught sociology, philosophy, and psychology. She was also the dean of women at a Florida University. This meant she was a leader for the female students.
Later, Keturah moved from Florida to Virginia. Her license to practice psychology was approved there. This made Whitehurst the first African-American clinical psychologist to hold that license in Virginia. She returned to school with a Rockefeller Scholarship. This scholarship paid for her entire doctoral degree. Her big research paper for her PhD was called Psychological growth as reflected in fantasy.
Keturah Whitehurst worked in Virginia, Florida, and Tennessee. She first retired from her educational career in 1977 in Virginia.
Lasting Impact and Later Life
Whitehurst opened a special school called The Children's House. It was also known as Fisk Children's House. This school helped children develop important skills. It was connected to Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. A former student and mentee, Florence Farley, helped her open the school.
Whitehurst also applied for grants to fund her research. She studied child development at Fisk University. She also researched leadership at Virginia State College. This led to two published papers. One was about public health in 1953. The other was about student leadership and child development in 1954.
Whitehurst started the first campus counseling service at Virginia State College. She was the only clinical psychologist on the faculty there. In her retirement, Whitehurst also cared for her mother. Her mother lived to be over 100 years old.
During this time, Whitehurst began to study gerontology. This is the study of aging. After her retirement, Whitehurst went back to college at age 73! She earned an Associate of Arts degree in criminal justice. This is a two-year degree related to law and justice. She was very involved in her community throughout her life.
A recent study in 2019 found that many college students today don't know Keturah Whitehurst's name. They are more familiar with other psychologists who were not from minority groups.
