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AFRICAN-AMERICAN LEADERSHIP AND RECOGNITION IN THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

Abstract

The American Chemical Society (ACS) was founded in April 1876. Due to America’s history of Jim Crow segregation policies, many African Americans were not early members of this organization. In spite of decades of discriminatory policies and practices, African Americans overcame obstacles and cultivated achievements in the chemical sciences at both Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). The Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 paved the way for limited and very marginal acceptance of African Americans into national scientific societies. As a result of overt discrimination experienced by African Americans who attended the spring 1972 National ACS conference, the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) was established. NOBCChE was founded in April 1972 and chartered a year later in 1973. Today NOBCChE and the ACS enjoy a mutually beneficial partnership like none other that has fostered membership growth and mentoring opportunities for thousands of future scientists. To date, three African Americans have achieved election as President/President-Elect of the ACS: Dr. Henry Hill in 1977 and Dr. Joseph Francisco in 2009. The first African American female, Dr. Dorothy J. Phillips, was elected in November 2023 as President-Elect.

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