University of Chicago to Remember Its First Black Doctor
By Sam Cholke
The University of Chicago will remember Dr. Julian Lewis, author of the "The Biology of the Negro," at a Feb. 21 ceremony at the Logan Center for the Arts. View Full Caption
HYDE PARK — The University of Chicago will honor Dr. Julian Lewis, the first black doctor to teach at the school, for Black History Month.
Lewis, who was also the first black man to graduate with a doctorate in physiology and pathology in 1917, will be remembered at a 2 p.m. Feb. 21 at the Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St.
Lewis was one of the early pioneers in the scientific field of studying the difference between races. His seminal book, “The Biology of the Negro,” dispelled the myth that whites were biologically superior to blacks, but that characteristics like blood type did have a racial component.
A representative from the Smithsonian Institution will unveil a new portrait of Lewis, followed by a remembrance of Lewis’ accomplishments by Robert Branch II, Tyrone Haymore and Dr. Christopher Crenner.
The event is free and open to the public.
The talk is the first in a series of events for February that coincide with the online exhibit “Integrating the Life of the Mind,” about African-Americans’ acceptance into roles as students and teachers at the University of Chicago and their influence on the institution.
