African-American leaders have been vital to making America strong. We’ll begin this section by celebrating Black History Month (February), and it will then become a continuing ACA section.
Welcome to America Comes Alive!, a site I created to share little-known stories of America’s past.
These stories are about Americans—people just like you—who have made a difference and changed the course of history. Look around the site and find what inspires you.
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James Derham (ca. 1762-1802?), Physician
First African-American to Practice Medicine in the U.S.
James Derham was born into slavery in Philadelphia. He was owned by three doctors in the area. In one of the households he learned to read and write.
In 1788 he was sold to a prominent surgeon in New Orleans, and the surgeon encouraged Derham to learn medicine. He showed great aptitude at helping others, and he also quickly learned the art of surgery.
He either paid for or was given his freedom (reports vary) and was permitted to practice among the freemen and slaves of New Orleans. He was popular for his medical knowledge but also his fluency in speaking French, English, and Spanish. He would have been a godsend to African-Americans who would not have been allowed to visit a white doctor.
Dr. Benjamin 
Rush, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and a well-respected physician of the day, visited New Orleans and was introduced to James Derham. He is quoted as saying about Derham: “I conversed with him on medicine and surgery and found him learned. I thought I could give him information concerning the treatment of disease, but I learned more from him than he could expect from me.” (From the Journal of the National Medical Association, Volume 4, No.1.)
Though James Derham’s skills were well-known and his practice flourished, New Orleans passed regulations in 1801 that prevented him from practicing medicine since he had no formal medical degree.
He disappeared after 1802.
What a loss.
A Brief Note about Black History Month
From physician Rebecca Lee Crumpler (1833-1895) and businessman Reginald Lewis (1942-1993) to cartoonist Jackie Ormes (1911-1986) and architect Paul R. Williams (1894-1980), Black History Month has provided an opportunity to take a look at 21 fascinating individuals who succeeded against all odds.
Paul R. Williams (1894-1980), Los Angeles-based Architect
One of Southern California’s signature architects.
Bridget “Biddy” Mason (1818-1891), Businesswoman and Philanthropist
• One of the first African-Americans to own land in Los Angeles
• Smart businesswoman who donated generously
Bridget “Biddy” Mason was born in 1818.
Bill Pickett (ca 1870-1932), African-American Cowboy
“Almost totally missing from the traditional history of the American West is the role of the Black cowboy as well as other Black pioneers who traveled through and settled during the nineteenth century in the vast territory west of the Mississippi,” writes Bennie J. McRae, Jr. in a1996 book, Lest We Forget. McRae notes that though history books and Hollywood manage to expunge blacks from the record, of the estimated 35,000 cowboys that worked the ranches and rode the trails between five and nine thousand (about one-third) were said to have been African-American.
Jackie Ormes (1911-1986), first African-American Female Cartoonist
Ormes’ comic strips were syndicated in black newspapers in the 1930s and ‘40s, making her the only nationally syndicated black woman cartoonist until the 1990s.
Claude Barnett (1889-1967), Journalist and Publisher
Founded the Associated Negro Press, the first international news agency for black newspapers- Advocated against segregation in the military and the segregation of the blood supply
Claude Barnett was born in Sanford, Florida. His parents were domestic workers, and their marriage didn’t last. While still a baby, Barnett moved with his mother to Oak Park, Illinois so they could live near his maternal grandmother.
