Dr. Dolores Cooper Shockley passed away in Nashville on Saturday, aged 90. He was the first Black woman to receive a doctorate degree in pharmacology. She is renowned for her amazing career, achievements in academics, and racial justice efforts. Moreover, she is not only the first Black woman in America to graduate with a Ph.D. in pharmacology, but is also one of the first African American students to become a recipient of a doctorate degree at Purdue University. In an interview held in 2009, Shockley spoke about the racism she dealt with at Purdue as well as while growing up in segregated Mississippi.
