Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander was a distinguished Philadelphian and Penn alumna who was the first African American woman in the United States to receive a Ph.D. degree in economics. West Philadelphia’s splendid Penn Alexander Partnership School is named in her honor.
Sadie T.M. Alexander pictured as "Woman of the Year" in the second edition of the comic book, Negro Heroes. The portrait is based on a photograph taken during her time as a member of the Truman Commission on Civil Rights.
Sadie Alexander broke barriers of race and gender as the first African American woman to achieve many accomplishments, and she worked diligently to open opportunities for others to follow in her footsteps.
Southern African American migrants shared a complex relationship with Philadelphia’s middle-class Black families with multigenerational ties to the city.
