Mildred Fay Jefferson a Doctor and life-long activist died at her home in Cambridge yesterday at age 84. Doctor Jefferson, whose father was a Methodist minister, was born in Pittsburg Texas in 1926. Despite growing up in the Jim Crow era, she nevertheless became the first African American woman to graduate from Harvard Medical School in 1951. In addition, she was the first woman to become a member of the Boston Surgical Society, the first woman to be a surgical intern at the Boston City Hospital and the first woman to receive the prestigious Lantern Award for Patriotism from the Massachusetts State Council Knights of Columbus. In addition, she also received twenty-eight honorary degrees. Jefferson served as a general surgeon with the former Boston University Medical Center as well Assistant Clinical Professor at the BU Medical School.
In spite of all these accomplishments, she is probably best known for her support for the right-to-life movement. Jefferson helped found the National Right to Life Committee and served three terms as its president. She was a member of Black Americans for Life and led the Right to Life Crusade for the last 33 years. She was held in high esteem by Feminists for Life and other pro-life feminists. At the time of her death Dr. Jefferson was serving on the Board of Directors for more than 30 pro-life organizations. Years ago, she ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for United States Senator in Massachusetts. More recently in August, Jefferson was named as an adult supervisor to the newly formed Massachusetts Assembly of Teenage Republicans and the New England Federation of TARS.
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