A Black Nun at Richmond Hill? 

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Sister Mildred Dolbear’s Quest for Acceptance

Thursday, February 4, 2021  |  7-8:30 pm  |  via Zoom

For 33 years, Sister Peronne as she was called did what she needed to do to be treated like every other nun at the Visitation of Monte Maria in Richmond, Virginia — she passed as white. By the time she arrived at Richmond Hill, Mildred Dolbear had already been rejected by another order in St. Louis, Missouri on account of her mixed-race heritage and denied the public graduation she earned from nursing school in Alabama. Join us as Professor Shannen Williams of Villanova University sheds light on the fascinating story of Dolbear’s life and times.