(NOTE: This Black History Month post was shared on The ReidOut Original Joy Reid Facebook Fan Page by Beverly Hubbard Hubbard.)
“Matilda Evans was born in Aiken, South Carolina on May 13, 1872 to Anderson Evans and Harriet Corley. Later on in her life, she would enroll in the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia. There, she was the only African American student in her class and eventually graduated in 1897.
After she graduated with her Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Evans returned to South Carolina. In the city of Columbia, she established a successful medical practice. As the first African American woman licensed to practice in South Carolina, she treated both white and African American patients who were in need of medical attention.
She practiced obstetrics, gynecology, and surgery, and cared for patients in her own home until she established the Taylor Lane Hospital. Taylor Lane Hospital was the very first African American hospital in the city of Columbia in 1901, granting medical care to many underserved communities.”
Photo and text shared via the new International African American Museum opening in Charleston, SC in 2022. The museum is dedicated to honoring the untold stories of the African American Journey. Stories similar to that of Dr. Evans will be featured in their South Carolina Connections exhibition.
Courtesy Legacy Center: Archives; Special Collections, Drexel University College of Medicine
