The First Generation Of African American Phds In Economics: 1921–1943

This paper deals with the African Americans who gained PhDs in economics, from the first in 1921 until 1943, roughly the first generation of African Americans with doctorates in economics. All through their student and post-student lives, they faced barriers and limitations thrown up by racial discrimination, with sometimes disheartening results. The paper charts the paths they took to achieve their PhDs, their thesis topics, and descriptions of their later career contributions. Virtually all came to work on issues central to African American interests and civil rights issues in general. Their careers centered on HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities) and African American organizations such as the National Urban League or NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), or were in government agencies—especially those concerned with wartime labor and production issues or with housing. They contributed not just to economics and economic policy but to the struggle for civil rights. The door to the economics profession had been essentially closed to Black people prior to 1920. This is the group that began to push that door open.