Mamie Phipps Clark

Mamie Phipps Clark (1917-1983) was an American social psychologist who pioneered the field of developmental psychology and battled racial injustices and segregation while trailblazing new territory for African-American women in academia.

Born in 1917 in segregated Arkansas, Clark witnessed racism firsthand from a young age. Her father, a prominent physician, supported Clark and her sibling in pursuing higher education despite rampant inequality in the country. Clark graduated college as valedictorian at Howard University, where she met her future husband, Kenneth Clark, a Master's student in psychology. She initially studied mathematics but he encouraged her to pursue her studies in developmental psychology. She said: "I'd always thought I wanted to work with children, and psychology seemed a good field."

Clark had to confront intense racism and sexism to pursue her academic aspirations, often the sole African-American woman in hostile white male-dominated spaces. She earned her PhD in psychology from Columbia University in 1943, becoming the first woman to do so, and the second black person (her husband was the first).

Clark worked closely with her husband and they remained together until her death. The couple had two children, Kate and Hilton. She balanced dual roles navigating her academic career and hands-on parenting, leveraging a strong community support network in the process. In 1950, the Clarks decided to place their children in a private school even though they advocated for integration in public schools, because they were concerned about their children’s education. Clarks’s husband said: "My children have only one life and I could not risk that."

Clark’s research focused on how racism and segregation impacted African-American children’ self-image and identity. She conducted the groundbreaking “doll test” experiment, where black children were asked to identify with either a black or white doll. Clark found that these children overwhelmingly preferred white dolls and associated having black or brown skin with being inferior.

Her research was used as evidence before the Supreme Court in the famous 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education case to show the terrible psychological effects of racism and segregation on children. These efforts culminated in the landmark decision to end racial segregation in public education, cementing her legacy as a driving force in the civil rights movement.

After finishing her PhD, Clark struggled to find a job. She spent over a year at Riverdale Home for Children in New York conducting psychological tests and counselling homeless girls. Refusing to accept the lack of child psychological services available to low-income and marginalized families, she helped launch the Northside Center for Child Development in Harlem alongside her husband. As Northside’s first director, Clark expanded the Center’s services, setting up programs for children and their parents addressing challenges around poverty, discrimination, and education.

While raising her two young children, Clark spent several decades conducting field research and providing direct community-based care. She was actively devoted to dismantling systemic inequality in education and served on numerous policy councils advocating for educational rights for minority, female, disabled, and low-income students. Her Nobel Peace Prize nomination only touches the surface of her immense impact. Clark passed in 1983.

This Black History Month and every month, we honor Dr. Mamie Phipps Clark for her pioneering contributions to social psychology and to dismantle racism and segregation. Though often unfairly overlooked, her legacy laid the blueprint for generations of academics and activists.

Written by Adaude Amalunweze
23/02/2024