Episode 1: Ella P. Stewart, Civil Rights Trailblazer of Toledo

In our first episode of Archival Encounters, we feature an oral history interview recorded in the 1980s with Toledo pharmacist and activist Ella P. Stewart, and speak with Dr. Shirley Green, adjunct instructor in the BGSU Department of History, about Stewart's life and legacy. One of the first professional Black female pharmacists in the United States, Stewart operated a neighborhood pharmacy that was a central fixture of Black life in Toledo during the early and mid-twentieth century. Throughout and beyond her pharmacy career, Stewart was also a recognized leader in civil and women's rights activism at the local, national, and international levels and served in prominent roles in numerous advocacy organizations, including as president of the Ohio Association of Colored Women and the National Association of Colored Women, and as vice president of the Pan-Pacific and Southeast Asia Women's Association.

Episode transcript available on the CAC's Archival Encounters webpage (https://www.bgsu.edu/library/cac/events-and-programs/podcast.html).

Episode Credits

Featured Guest: Dr. Shirley Green, Adunct Instructor, BGSU Department of History
Host: Nick Pavlik, Manuscripts and Digital Initiatives Archivist, BGSU Center for Archival Collections
Producers: Marco Mendoza, Media and Technology Specialist, BGSU School of Media and Communication; Pavlik
Engineer: Mendoza
Editor: Pavlik
Script: Pavlik
Music: Connor McCoy, BGSU College of Musical Arts alumnus
Archival Content: Ella P. Stewart oral history interview
Cover Art: Ben Boutwell, Media Production and Studies major, BGSU School of Media and Communication