Party for Mary McLeod Bethune's 75th birthday at the home of Drs. Vada and John Somerville, Los Angeles, 1950

Item Overview

Title

Party for Mary McLeod Bethune's 75th birthday at the home of Drs. Vada and John Somerville, Los Angeles, 1950

Alternative title

Somerville community activities (1)

Date Created

July 1950

Date

1950-07

Collection

Miriam Matthews Photograph Collection
OpenUCLA Collections

Notes

Description

Dr. Vada Somerville (born Vada Jetmore Watson) of Pomona graduated from USC, married dentist John Alexander Somerville (1912), was the first African American woman and the second African American person to graduate from USC School of Dentistry (1918), and was the first African American woman certified to practice dentistry in the state of California. She was a civil rights activist, highly involved in several civic and community organizations.
Mary Jane McLeod Bethune was an American educator, stateswoman, philanthropist, humanitarian and civil rights activist best known for starting a private school for African-American students in Daytona Beach, Florida. She also was appointed as a national adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of what was known as his Black Cabinet.
Mary McLeod Bethune cutting her birthday cake at a party, beneath a grape arbor in the Somerville's back yard. Celebrating with her are Lena Horne (left), Irene Heineman (front row, right), Dr. Vada Somerville (back row, center), and Betty Hill (right). The Somerville's lived at this house, at 2014 Virginia Road, from 1952 to at least 1962.
Lena Horne was an African American singer, dancer, actress, and civil rights activist.
Betty Hill was an early 20th-century civil rights and women’s rights leader. Her efforts were significant in making certain that segregation and racial discrimination were unable to gain a foothold in Southern California as it did in the South. [Wikipedia]

Physical Description

Extent

1 photograph

Keywords

Genre

Portrait photographs

Names

Hill, Betty, 1876-1960
Bethune, Mary McLeod, 1875-1955
Horne, Lena
Somerville, Vada, 1885-1972

Subject Geographic

Los Angeles (Calif.)

Resource type

still image

Subjects

African American women politicians
African American civil rights workers
Birthday parties
African American political activists