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. Kenneth Hahn (1920–1997) was a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for forty years, from 1952 to 1992. Hahn was on the Los Angeles City Council from 1947 to 1952. He was an ardent supporter of civil rights throughout the 1960s, and met Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1961. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn shakes hands with Dr. Vada Somerville in an office with the U.S. flag and the State of California flag. Stamp on back of photo: Official Photo / Los Angeles County Fire Department / Date Jan 30 1959 / Neg. #1039 / J. A. Homuller photographer / Release Notice / This picture may be reproduced or used for illustrative purposes only on condition that credit e given to "Los Angeles County Fire Department"
Type
image
Identifier
uclalsc_1889_b14_f10_039a.tif ark:/21198/z1wm2xht
Subject
African American civil rights workers African American dentists Shaking hands City council members Hahn, Kenneth Somerville, Vada, 1885-1972
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