1898 – 1989
Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (1898–1989) was a pioneering African American scholar, economist, and civil rights attorney. She was the first African American to earn a PhD in economics in the United States (University of Pennsylvania, 1921) and the first Black woman admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar. Her scholarship and advocacy centered on economic inequality, racial justice, and the intellectual contributions of African and African-descended peoples.
First African American to earn a PhD in economics in the United States (UPenn, 1921)
First Black woman admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar (1927)
Served on President Truman's Committee on Civil Rights, co-authoring 'To Secure These Rights' (1947)
Lifelong advocacy connecting economic analysis to racial justice and civil rights law
Pioneer in centering African and African-descended intellectual production within American scholarly discourse