Mamie Phipps Clark

Mamie Phipps Clark (October 18, 1917 – August 11, 1983) was a social psychologist. She studied how young Black children saw themselves. She was born and raised in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Later, she studied at Howard University, where she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees.

Her most famous work looked at how segregation affected young Black children's feelings about themselves. For her master's thesis, Clark used experiments with dolls. She wanted to see how race influenced what children liked and how they saw themselves. She discovered that many children liked white dolls more than black dolls. This showed that segregation could hurt children's self-image.

Her research became very important in history. It was used as evidence in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education court case. This case helped change laws about racial segregation in schools. Together with her husband Kenneth Clark, Mamie Phipps Clark helped people understand the effects of racism on the mind.

Early life

Mamie Phipps Clark was born on October 18, 1917, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. She went to schools that only allowed certain people to attend, including a Catholic elementary school. Her father was a doctor from the British West Indies, and her mother took care of the home.

Clark finished Langston High School and then went to Howard University to study math and physics. There she met her future husband, Kenneth Clark. He encouraged her to study psychology. She finished with top honors in 1938 and started a graduate program in psychology at Howard. Her master's thesis looked at how black children learn about their racial identity. She later earned her Ph.D. in experimental psychology from Columbia University, becoming the first Black woman to do so.

Doll study

Mamie Phipps Clark's doll study built on her master's thesis research. With her husband Kenneth Clark, she used four dolls that looked the same except for their skin color. They asked children to pick which doll they liked best, which looked nice, which looked bad, and which looked like them.

The study found that children often picked the white doll, showing that unfair ideas about race could make Black children feel less good about themselves.

This work helped in the Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954. Phipps Clark also asked children to color drawings to look like themselves, and many chose lighter colors. Her work was one of the first to show how society can shape children's ideas about race.

Additional research

Mamie and her husband did many studies before their famous doll study. In 1939, they studied when African American children start to understand their race. They showed children ages 3 to 5 pictures of white and colored children and animals. They asked the kids to pick which ones looked like them or someone close to them.

They found that some 3-year-olds picked animals. By age 4, children started to pick humans, showing they knew they were people. The study also showed that children around age 4 began to notice their race. More 4-year-olds picked colored pictures than 3-year-olds.

Their work helped other researchers learn more about how young children understand race. Later studies used similar methods and found that young children often prefer others who share their racial background.

The Northside Center for Child Development

In February 1946, Mamie Phipps Clark started the Northside Center for Child Development in the basement of her family's apartment in Harlem. With a small loan from her father, she created a place where children could get help with their feelings and families could find support. The center was the first in Harlem to offer special care for children and their families.

The Clarks used the center to learn how racism affects children’s minds and feelings. They offered many services, including counseling, school help, and advice for parents. Over the years, the center grew to include more programs like tutoring, nutrition workshops, and training for parents. Clark worked at the center until she retired in 1979.

Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited project (HARYOU)

Mamie Phipps Clark worked with her husband on many projects, including the Harlem Youth Opportunities Unlimited project (HARYOU). HARYOU began in 1962. It helped young people in Harlem with education and jobs. The project also taught people how to work with government agencies for funding and support. There was an idea to use busing to integrate schools, but parents protested, so this idea was not used.

Personal life

Mamie Phipps married Kenneth Clark soon after she finished school. They stayed married until she passed away in 1983. They had two children named Kate Harris and Hilton Clark.

Clark was very active in her community. She helped lead a housing company that built apartments in New York City. She also served on the boards of many important organizations, such as the American Broadcasting Companies, the Museum of Modern Art, the New York Public Library, The Phelps Stokes Fund, Teachers College at Columbia University, and the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. She also worked with advisory groups like the National Head Start Planning Committee.

Legacy

Mamie Phipps Clark's work in psychology remains important today. She sometimes didn’t get as much attention as she deserved. She faced many challenges because of her gender and race, but she kept working hard. She was known for being modest and for balancing her career with her family life. In 1983, she received a Candace Award for Humanitarianism from the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.

Mamie Phipps Clark passed away from cancer on August 11, 1983, at the age of 66.