Zenobia Gilpin (born about 1898 – June 11, 1948) was an American physician and clubwoman, and "one of the best known citizens of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

". An African-American physician during the

Jim Crow era The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the Sout ...

, she provided medical services to underserved black communities.

Early life and education

Zenobia Gustava Gilpin was born in Richmond, Virginia, the daughter of St. James Gilpin and Cordelia A. Reese Gilpin. Her father owned a shoe store. Actor

Charles Sidney Gilpin Charles Sidney Gilpin (November 20, 1878 – May 6, 1930) was one of the most highly regarded stage actors of the 1920s. He played in critical debuts in New York City: the 1919 premier of John Drinkwater's ''Abraham Lincoln'' and the lead role ...

was her cousin. She graduated from

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 ...

in 1920, and from

Howard University College of Medicine The Howard University College of Medicine (HUCM) is an academic division of Howard University that grants the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), Ph.D., M.S., and the M.PH. HUCM is located at the Howard University Health Sciences Center in Washington, D.C ...

in 1923.

Career

Gilpin had a medical practice in Richmond, and organized clinics at Black churches in the city. She was head of obstetrics at Richmond Community Hospital, secretary of the Virginia State Medical Association, and president of the Richmond Medical Society in 1930. She was the first Black woman doctor on the staff of Children's Memorial Clinic. She served on the City Lunacy Commission, and on the board of directors for the Phillis Wheatley branch of 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 ...

. From 1936 until her death, she was secretary of the St. Philip Hospital Clinic. She chaired the Richmond chapter of

Planned Parenthood The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is a nonprofit organization that provides reproductive health care in the United States and globally. It is a tax-exempt corporation under Internal Reve ...

. During World War II, she worked in the student clinic at

Hampton Institute Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association af ...

, presided over a fundraising concert, and organized a nutrition program for Richmond homemakers, to maximize healthy meals under rationing. Gilpin was active in the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

and

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen stud ...

sorority. She was a founding member of the NAACP's Virginia State Conference, and first president of the Upsilon Omega Chapter of

from 1925 to 1927. In 1932, on her way home from attending the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

in Los Angeles, she was honored in Chicago at a luncheon hosted by fellow Black doctor Lillian Singleton Dove.

Personal life and legacy

Gilpin married educator Welton Hamlet Henderson in 1943. She died in 1948, in her late-forties, at her Richmond home. Her grave is located at

Woodland Cemetery Woodland Cemetery may refer to: * Woodland cemetery, a type of cemetery or it may refer to specific places: in Sweden * Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery) in Stockholm, Sweden in the United States (by state) * Woodland Cemetery (Quincy, I ...

. A clinic was named in her memory, and more recently, Zenobia's Promise Foundation, founded in 2019 by the Upsilon Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, was also named in her memory. Her 1938

Bausch & Lomb Bausch + Lomb is an eye health products company based in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the world's largest suppliers of contact lenses, lens care products, pharmaceuticals, intraocular lenses, and other eye surgery products. The compan ...

microscope was displayed at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center in Richmond in 2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilpin, Zenobia 1948 deaths American women physicians Howard University alumni People from Richmond, Virginia Howard University College of Medicine alumni Alpha Kappa Alpha members NAACP activists Year of birth uncertain