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Recognizing the strength, determination, and contributions of renowned physician, Philadelphia City Councilmember, and Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Dr.
Ethel Allen, whose medical expertise and dedicated public service prioritized the City's most vulnerable residents and paved the way for future generations of independent Black women in Philadelphia politics.
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WHEREAS, Dr.
Ethel Allen was born in Philadelphia in 1929, as one of three children, to Mr. and Mrs. Sidney S.
Allen. Dr.
Allen attended then predominately white John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls' High School. She later attended West Virginia State College, a public historically Black university, where she majored in chemistry and biology with a minor in mathematics; and
WHEREAS, As a student, Dr.
Allen was fascinated with politics. She managed a student council presidential campaign for a high school classmate. Later, she ran for West Virginia State College Council President, losing by only two votes; and
WHEREAS, After graduation, Dr.
Allen worked for an Atomic Energy Commission Project. Meanwhile, she began attending Democratic and Republican national conventions and working tirelessly on local and national electoral campaigns; and
WHEREAS, Dr.
Allen overcame almost insurmountable barriers for Black women in medical education by, after seven years of applications, finally being granted admission to the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). At PCOM, Dr.
Allen was the only African American and the only woman in the Obstetrics-Gynecology Society. She was also the only African American, and one of only two women in the Internal Medicine Society. Later in her medical career, she founded the Community Committee on Medical School Admissions, which served to increase the admission rates of Black students applying to medical school. She also served as a mentor to PCOM students; and
WHEREAS, As a physician practicing community medicine in Philadelphia, Dr.
Allen referr...
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