In recognition of Black History Month, we are reposting an incredible timeline of Black History in Optometry created by Dr. Essence Johnson. The timeline begins in 1912 with Dr. William Lawson, the first Black optometrist in the U.S. and Canada; includes an entry in 1939 for Dr. Marvin Poston, the first African American admitted to Berkeley Optometry, and the first licensed to practice on the West coast; and concludes in 1988 with Dr. Tanya L. Carter, the first Black professor of SUNY College of Optometry. Check out Dr. Johnson’s Instagram page @houseof_optometrista, and the pages @blackeyecareperspective and @beppoc, where she will be posting daily black history facts on these platforms all month.
