Group portrait of 25 members of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, with Dr. Vada Somerville (seated, 4th from left), and possibly Florence Cole-Talbert (seated 4th from right). 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. Alpha Kappa Alpha (ΑΚΑ) is a Greek-lettered sorority, the first established by African-American college women. Membership is for college-educated women.
Type
image
Identifier
uclalsc_1889_b14_f10_037a.tif ark:/21198/z15445nx
Subject
African American civil rights workers African American dentists Cole-Talbert, Florence Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Somerville, Vada, 1885-1972
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
