By Fletcher Word
The Truth Editor
The Toledo Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, honored one of their own, the late Ella P. Stewart, on June 13, 2025, with the unveiling of a historical marker on the grounds of All Saints Episcopal Church. A number of presenters, including numerous Delta sorors, spoke of the impact the late pharmacist, civil rights leader and community activist has had upon their lives.
After a welcome by Ambershaun Byrd, president of the Toledo Alumna Chapter, Cecelia Adams, PhD, longtime Toledo Public Schools teacher and administrator, member of the Toledo Board of Education and Toledo City Councilwoman, served as the mistress of ceremonies and led the event’s activities.
Adams’ perspective on the legacy of Stewart’s life developed from both a professional and a personal viewpoint. As a pharmacist, a business owner and a community leader, Stewart’s achievements as a Black woman opened doors and set the example for countless number of Black women subsequent generations.
Stewart was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Pharmacy in 1916 and the first Black woman licensed to practice pharmacology in Pennsylvania.
In 1922, Stewart and her husband, William, opened the first Black-owned pharmacy in Toledo.
Adams, however, had a very personal involvement with Stewart. When Adams and her five siblings were growing up in Toledo, under the watchful eye of their own esteemed mother, Dr. Samantha Adams, they were fortunate to have Ella P. Stewart as a neighbor
“Imagine living in a house on the same block as two very important, prominent Black women in the inner city — my mother, Dr. Samantha P. Adams, on one side and Ms. Ella P. Stewart across the street,” Adams said as she opened her remarks last Friday. Adams remembers Stewart as a “very dignified person … soft spoken.”
Rochelle Hall-Rollins, PharmD, a pharmacist herself, also shared her thoughts about the influence of Stewart on her and on the community at large.
“Ella P. Stewart was a pioneer in every sense of the word,” said Hall-Rollins describing Stewart as a “fierce advocate for civil rights.” Hall-Rollins noted Stewart’s work beyond the Toledo community. Stewart was the 14th national president of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, for example, and was appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to serve with the U.S. delegation to the World Health Organization in 1957, making her the first African American to hold such a position.
Historian Jacqueline P. Hudson, PhD, served as a consultant in the effort to honor Stewart with the State of Ohio historical marker. Introduced in 2018 to the impact of Ella P. Stewart, Hudson recounted part of the effort that began in 2022 to complete the project. Hudson described her mission as one “to honor the history and culture of Black Americans, especially Black women, not only on a national level, but also on a local level.”
Stewart, said Hudson “was more than a trailblazer, she was a beacon.”
Last Friday’s ceremony was especially notable for turnout of so many members of the Toledo Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta. Stewart was a charter member of the Beta Lambda chapter and a past chapter president
A number of elected officials also added their comments about the legacy of Ella P. Stewart during the ceremony including State Senator Paula Hicks-Hudson, State Rep. Erika White, Lucas County Commissioner and Toledo Councilwomen Vanice Williams and Cerssandra McPherson.
“I stand on the shoulders of Ella P. Stewart as do so many other women who have spoken here today,” said White.
Of course, in Toledo, the daily reminder for so many residents is the fact that a school is named after the noted pharmacist. Shannon Carter, principal of Ella P. Stewart Academy for Girls, spoke of the lasting impact of the late pharmacist.
“Ella P. Stewart’s legacy lives and breathes in the walls of our school every day … her light continues to shine through every Stewart girl who walks through [the school],” Carter added.
The ceremony concluded with the unveiling of the marker at the corner of All Saints Episcopal Church’s lot along with remarks by Alexandria Ingley, Community Engagement coordinator with the Ohio History Connection.
The placement of the marker on the corner was symbolic, if perhaps unintentionally so, because Stewart’s pharmacy was indeed on a corner, as several speakers observed, and she was a member of the congregation of All Saints Episcopal Church.