Annie Elizabeth Delany
| Annie Elizabeth Delany | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
September 3, 1891 Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | September 25, 1995 (aged 104) Mount Vernon, New York, U.S. |
| Fields | Dentistry |
| Alma mater |
St. Augustine's College Columbia School of Dental and Oral Surgery |
| Known for | Being the second African-American female dentist licensed in New York State |
Annie Elizabeth "Bessie" Delany (3 September 1891 – 25 September 1995) was an American dentist and civil rights pioneer who was the subject, along with her elder sister Sarah "Sadie" Delany, of the New York Times bestselling oral history, Having Our Say, written by journalist Amy Hill Hearth. Delany earned a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree from Columbia University in 1923. She was the second Black woman licensed to practice dentistry in New York State, and became famous, with the publication of the book, when she was aged 101.
Delany was the third of ten children born to the Rt. Rev. Henry Beard Delany (1858–1928), the first Black person elected Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States, and Nanny Logan Delany (1861–1956), an educator. H.B. Delany was born into slavery in St. Mary's, Georgia. Nanny Logan Delany was born in a community then known as Yak, Virginia, seven miles from Danville.
Bessie Delany was born and raised on the campus of St. Augustine's School (now University) in Raleigh, North Carolina, where her father was the Vice-Principal and her mother, a teacher and administrator. Delany was a 1911 graduate of the school. In 1918, she followed her sister to New York City, enrolling at Columbia University, from which she earned her dental degree in 1923. Of 170 students in her graduating class, she was the only Black female. She shared a dental office with her brother, Dr. H. B. Delany Jr., at 2305 Seventh Avenue, and later, 2303 Seventh Avenue, in Harlem. Throughout her life, Bessie, participated in many protests and marches, and encouraged civil rights organizers to meet at her and her brother's office.
Delany died at the age of 104 in Mount Vernon, New York, where she had long resided. She is interred at Mount Hope Cemetery in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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