User:Herk0000/Susan McKinney Steward

Early life
McKinney-Steward was born Susan Maria Smith to Anne and Sylvanus Smith in 1847. She lived at 189 Pearl Street in Weeksville, now Crown Heights, Brooklyn, for ten years until her family moved to a house next door at 213 Pearl Street. Susan was part of a large family, and had nine other siblings. Her sister Sarah J. Garnet eventually became the first African-American female school principal in the New York City public school system. Records show that her father held jobs as a porter, carpet cleaner, and laborer. However, he also sold hogs which provided him and his family with a respectable living. As a child, Susan was fond of music and learned to play the organ. Her musical skills allowed her to work at a school in Washington, DC. Eventually, she played the organ and director choir at Siloam Presbyterian Church and the Bridge Street African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Education and career
Although the exact reason McKinney-Steward wanted to pursue medicine is unknown, there are some factors that could explain her motivation. One possibility is that losing two of her brothers during the Civil War could have caused her to seek out a career where she could prevent other people from dying. Another possibility is the cholera epidemic that was occurring in 1866. Increased fatalities due to the disease could have encouraged her to have an active role in people's health. In 1867, she attended the New York Medical College for Women. At that time, it would have usually brought public attention by the press if an African-American women had been admitted into medical school. However, her mentor Dr. Lozier had a strong abolitionist background and was likely able to deter press which avoided a public outcry. Although McKinney's father was a wealthy pig farmer who could have easily afforded her tuition costs, she preferred to pay for her education herself. She used money she had earned teaching at a colored school in Manhattan. She chose a career in homeopathy, instead of medical study, most likely because it was more accessible to women. Many of her classmates regarded her in high esteem, as she would stay up late studying long after her classmates had fallen asleep. Because of her work ethic and academic performance, she was selected as valedictorian and graduated in 1869. However, neither the local newspapers or The New York Times included her valedictory address or included that she was of African descent.

Although obtaining her degree and being selected as valedictorian, McKinney-Steward struggled to find a reliable job. In addition, her degree in homeopathic medicine was not viewed in the same high regard that a medical degree was. In fact, many people viewed homeopathic medicine as witchcraft or quackery medicine. Susan found work treating malnourished children until eventually her reputation grew to where she could treat both white and black patients. She received many positive reviews and recognitions from physicians in her area. Her clientele increased to the point where she was became a respected and wealthy physician.

McKinney-Steward's medical career focused on prenatal care and childhood disease where she worked with patients of all races. From 1870 to 1895, she ran her own practice in Brooklyn and co-founded the Brooklyn Women's Homeopathic Hospital and Dispensary. She sat on the board of and practiced medicine at the Brooklyn Home for Aged Colored People.

By 1906, she and her second husband, Theophilus Gould Steward, both found positions at the African Methodist Episcopal Church's Wilberforce University in Ohio, where she worked as college physician. In 1911 she attended the Universal Race Congress in London, where she delivered a paper entitled "Colored American Women". Her paper was focused on the achievements of numerous African American women. The Congress brought together many people from all over the world searching for ways to enhance their relationships and continue dialogue between the East and West parts of the world. In 1914, Susan addressed the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs in a speech titled "Women in Medicine". Her objective of the speech was to end the separation of men and women in medical schools. She advocated that women would have the same opportunity for internship positions if women were allowed to attend schools alongside men.

Marriage and children
In 1871 she was married to Reverend William G. McKinney from South Carolina. Before her marriage, she was still struggling to find work and be in good economic standing. However, her marriage to William McKinney was able to partially eliminate some of the economic strain as she grew her career. They had two children, Anna and William Sylvanus. Due to a cerebral hemorrhage in 1890, William McKinney was unable to keep up with his previous work responsibilities. Susan then had to be the primary supporter of their family in addition to six of Susan's extended family. William Mckinney died two years after his cerebral hemorrhage in 1892.

Four years after her previous husband's death, in 1896, Susan remarried to United States Army Buffalo Soldier and chaplain, Theophilus Gould Steward. His unit was the first all-black regiment in the U.S. Army. Shortly after their marriage, she moved with him to Fort Missoula in Montana. They later moved in 1902 to Fort Niobrara, Nebraska and again in 1906 to Fort McIntosh in Texas. William McKinney stated that Susan "entered heartily into the work among the soldiers and became an excellent step mother to [his] children."

Death and afterward
She died suddenly and unexpectedly at Wilberforce University. Her body was transported to Brooklyn, New York where she was interred at Green-Wood Cemetery. Many people spoke at her funeral, including Hallie Quinn Brown, the president of Wilberforce University, Dr. William Scarborough, and author Dr. Dubois.

Legacy
In 1974, the New York Board of Education named a Brooklyn school "Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Junior High School" in her remembrance. Also, African-American women physicians located in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut in the 1980s named their medical society in honor of her.