Edwards, Lena F.

Impact on the world

Became the first African-American woman to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964, in recognition of her medical work establishing a maternity clinic for impoverished migrant farm worker families in Texas.

Life & background

A physician, Edwards dedicated much of her career to providing medical care for low-income and migrant farm worker communities, establishing a maternity clinic in Texas for families who otherwise lacked access to care. In 1964 she became the first African-American woman to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom for this work.

Sources

1. NLM Changing the Face of Medicine; New Jersey Women's History