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Biography · Medicine & Health

Viola Mary Johnson Coleman

1919–2005

United States

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Biography

Viola Mary Johnson Coleman (September 25, 1919 - October 12, 2005) was the first African-American female physician to practice medicine in Midland, Texas. She was active in advocating for the desegregation of schools and for the integration of hospitals in Midland. In 1945, she enlisted the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in bringing a lawsuit against Louisiana State University medical school for denying her admission based upon her race, a decade before some of the most influential civil rights actions such as in Montgomery and Little Rock.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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