Josefa Zaratt
Josefa Zaratt (also Zarratt) (born 19 March 1871, died 4 August 1962) was one of the first African-American women to graduate from Tufts Medical School. Finding this information was done by going through school records. There were not very many African American women who were able to go to school during these times. They often would leave the south and head north to a school where they could study medicine. These schools were still very heavily segregated.

Scholarships at this time were not given to women of color. Some African American women applied for scholarships, but would be turned down due to the color of their skin. 

It is also believed that African American women went into medical school with higher levels of education than white women. This is reasoned by the fact that it was much more difficult to be accepted into medical schools with the same level education as other applicants. Black women had to be more decorated in their education levels for a smaller fragment of being accepted.

The gap between women of color and white women continued to grow even after accomplishing the goal of graduating medical school. When it came to internships and jobs it was even more difficult than getting into medical school. Still staying in the northern parts of the country, jobs were rare for African American women. Patients also would not prefer to see them or be treated by them. They could turn down treatment from a female African American doctor if they wished. 

The first women to receive a medical degree in the United States was in 1849 and was received by Elizabeth Blackwell. The first African American female received a medical degree just four years later
Q7851551
Tufts Medical School
ORG
Q60886545
Josefa Zaratt
PER
1871-03-19T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
19 March 1871
DATE
1962-08-04T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
4 August 1962
DATE
1849-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1849
DATE
educated at
date of birth
date of death