Mary Jane Watkins (September 27, 1902 – January 11, 1977) was an American actress and dentist, and one of the first Black women to serve in the

Women's Army Corps The Women's Army Corps (WAC) was the women's branch of the United States Army. It was created as an Auxiliaries, auxiliary unit, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) on 15 May 1942 and converted to an active duty status in the Army of the U ...

Early life and education

Watkins was born in

Columbia, Tennessee Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Maury County, Tennessee. The population was 41,690 as of the 2020 United States census. Columbia is included in the Nashville metropolitan area. The self-proclaimed "mule capital of the world," Colum ...

, the daughter of John Watkins and Maggie Watkins. As a young woman at

Morgan College Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1867, the university, then known a ...

, she and writer

Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-1900s American South and published research on Hoodoo (spirituality), hoodoo. The most ...

were school friends; Hurston recalled Watkins as "the most sex-appealing thing, with her lush figure and big eyes and soft skin". After Morgan, Watkins attended

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

, where she graduated from the School of Dentistry in 1924, the only woman in her class. She also played basketball and tennis at Howard, and was founder and president of the Rho Psi Phi, the first Black medical sorority.

Career

Watkins lived in Pittsburgh after dental school, and in 1926 was secretary of the Pittsburgh chapter of the Howard University alumni association. She coached a girls' basketball team; activist

Dorothy Height Dorothy Irene Height (March 24, 1912 – April 20, 2010) was an African American civil rights and women's rights activist. She focused on the issues of African American women, including unemployment, illiteracy, and voter awareness. Height is cr ...

was one of her players. She was also a local tennis champion. Watkins moved to New York City in 1927; she lived in Harlem and was active in the

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

, the Business and Professional Women's Club, and other organizations there. In 1930, she and Zora Neale Hurston were among the guests at a reception for West African businessman Winfried Tete-Ansa, held by the Plainfield Negro History Club in New Jersey. She joined the

in 1942, becoming one of the first Black women to serve in that corps. In 1960, she spent a year practicing dentistry in

Enugu, Nigeria Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...

. She taught at the Guggenheim Clinic in New York in the 1960s, training international students in dentistry. From 1964 to 1966, she was vice-president of the North Harlem Dental Society, and in 1965 she was president of the Association of Women Dentists of New York City. She had a dental practice in New York until she retired in 1972.

Films and stage

Watkins was also an actress as a young woman, appearing in the

Oscar Micheaux Oscar Devereaux Micheaux (; January 2, 1884 – March 25, 1951) was an author, film director and independent producer of more than 44 films. Although the short-lived Lincoln Motion Picture Company was the first movie company owned and controlled ...

silent film ''

Deceit Deception or falsehood is an act or statement that misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda and sleight o ...

'' (1923), and the

Bud Pollard Bud Pollard (born John Evelyn Godson; May 12, 1895 – December 17, 1952) was a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter, film producer and actor. Pollard is known for such films as '' It Happened in Harlem'', '' The Black King'', '' Tall, ...

sound film '' The Black King'' (1932). She also appeared in a musical comedies, including ''Ol' Man Satan'' (1932) at the

Forrest Theatre The Forrest Theatre is a live theatre venue at 1114 Walnut Street Center City area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has a seating capacity of 1,851 and is managed by The Shubert Organization.

and ''Ham's Daughter'' (1932) at the Lafayette Theatre.

Personal life

Watkins was briefly rumored to be a love interest of aviator

Hubert Julian Hubert Fauntleroy Julian (21 September 1897 – 19 February 1983) was a Trinidad-born aviation pioneer. He was nicknamed "List of military figures by nickname, The Black Eagle". Early years Hubert Fauntleroy Julian was born in Port of Spain, Tr ...

. She died in Detroit in 1977, aged 74 years, at the home she shared with her sister, Christina Watkins Bishop.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT: 1902 births 1977 deaths People from Columbia, Tennessee Howard University alumni American dentists Women dentists Women's Army Corps soldiers American actresses