Phyllis Ann Wallace
Phyllis A. Wallace (1921–1993) was a distinguished African American economist and activist, as well as the first woman to receive doctorate of economics at Yale University.[1] Her work tended to focus on racial, as well as gender discrimination in the workplace.[1]
| Phyllis Ann Wallace | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1921 Calvert County, Maryland[2] |
| Died |
1993 Boston, Massachusetts[2] |
| Institutions |
|
| Alma mater |
|
| Awards | National Economic Association's Westerfield Award (1981) |
Early life
Phyllis was born Annie Rebecca Wallace in Calvert County, Maryland, on June 9, 1921 to John Wallace and Stevella Wallace.[2][3] She attended a well ranked yet segregated high school, Frederick Douglass High School. After graduating, she went on to attend New York University, receiving a bachelor's degree in economics in 1943.,[2] She later attended Yale University for graduate studies, earning a master's degree in 1944 and a PhD in 1948.[2] A mix of encouragement from her Yale economist professor and work at a federal-defense agency made her decide to pursue a career in international economics.[3]
Career
Her work began studying economic growth in the Soviet Union, but later transferred to a focus in workplace economics, joining the senior staff of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 1965.[3][4] She became a voice for anti-discrimination in the workplace, and was an important part of the anti-workplace-discrimination contingencies of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.[1] Her work shifted again towards economic issues with urban minority youth when she began working for Metropolitan Applied Research (MARC).[1]
Wallace joined the faculty of MIT in 1972 as a visiting professor, and was tenured as full professor in 1974, in the Sloan School.[5]
Achievements
Phyllis A. Wallace was the first African American and the first female president of the Industrial Relations Research Association.[5] She also garnered several awards for her accomplishments, including National Economic Association's Westerfield Award in 1981,[4] and awards from several universities, including Yale (1980) and Brown (1986).[3]
Bibliography
Books by Wallace include:
- Pathways to work: Unemployment among black teenage females (1974) Lexington, MA: Lexington Books
- Women, minorities and employment discrimination (1977) Lexington, MA: Lexington Books
- Black women in the labor force (1980) Cambridge, MA: MIT Press
- editor, Women in the workplace (1982) Boston, MA: Auburn House
- MBAs on the fast track (1989) New York: Harper and Row
References
- 1 2 3 4 Wayne, Tiffany (2011). American Woman of Science Since 1900. ABC CLIO, LLC. p. 111. ISBN 978 1 59884 158 9.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Malveaux, Julianne (2004). "Wallace, Phyllis Ann. June 9, 1921-January 10, 1993". In Ware, Susan; Braukman, Stacy Lorraine. Notable American Women: Completing the Twentieth Century. Harvard University Press.
- 1 2 3 4 Cicarelli, James; Cicarelli, Julianne (2003). Distinguished Women Economists. United States: Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 206–208. ISBN 0-313-30331-2.
- 1 2 Malveaux, Julianne (January 4, 2002). A Different Vision: Volume 1. 29 West 35th Street New York NY 10001: Thomas D Boston. pp. 129–135. ISBN 9781134798605.
- 1 2 Malveaux, Julianne (1994). "Tilting against the wind: Reflections on the life and work of Phyllis Ann Wallace". The American Economic Review. 84 (2): 93–97. JSTOR 2117809.