Phyllis Ann Wallace facts for kids
Phyllis A. Wallace (1921–1993) was a distinguished African American economist and activist, as well as the first woman to receive doctorate of economics at Yale University. Her work tended to focus on racial, as well as gender discrimination in the workplace.
Quick facts for kids
Phyllis Ann Wallace
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| Born | June 9, 1921 Calvert County, Maryland
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| Died | January 10, 1993 (aged 71) Boston, Massachusetts
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| Awards | National Economic Association's Westerfield Award (1981) |
Early life
She was born Annie Rebecca Wallace in Calvert County, Maryland, on June 9, 1921 to John Wallace, a craftsman, and Stevella Wallace. She attended a well ranked yet segregated high school, Frederick Douglass High School, graduating in 1939.
Despite ranking first in her high school class, state law at that time would not allow her to attend the all-white University of Maryland. She attended New York University, receiving a bachelor's degree in economics in 1943, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.
She later attended Yale University, earning a master's degree in 1944 and a PhD in 1948. A mix of encouragement from her Yale economist professor and work at a federal-defense agency made her decide to pursue a career in international economics.
Career
Her work began studying economic growth in the Soviet Union, but later transferred to a focus in workplace economics, joining the senior staff of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 1965. She became a voice for anti-discrimination in the workplace, and was an important part of the anti-workplace-discrimination contingencies of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Her work shifted again towards economic issues with urban minority youth when she began working for Metropolitan Applied Research Center (MARC).
Wallace joined the faculty of MIT in 1972 as a visiting professor, and was tenured as full professor in 1974, in the Sloan School. Her appointment made her the first woman to gain tenure at Sloan. Wallace retired from active teaching in 1986.
Achievements
Wallace was the first African American and the first female president of the Industrial Relations Research Association. She also garnered several awards for her accomplishments, including National Economic Association's Westerfield Award in 1981, and awards from several universities, including Yale (1980) and Brown (1986).
