Contributions and Distinctions
She was the first African American woman to graduate from UC Berkeley. This helped pave the way for many future African American women to attend UC Berkeley as undergraduates and graduates, and earn a degree.
Biographical Sketch
Vivian Logan Rodgers (1884-1914) was born in California, the daughter of Moses Logan Rodgers, one of California’s first African American pioneers. She graduated from Stockton High School and later made history as the first African American woman to graduate from UC Berkeley. In 1909, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English.
Attending UC Berkeley could not have been easy for her, as she did not have a community of other African American women to connect with or rely on for support. However, she received strong encouragement from her family and community. Her family was frequently mentioned in Stockton newspapers, and in 1909 she was proudly listed among the “Stocktonians” who had graduated from Berkeley.
Sadly, just five years later, the same newspaper announced her death. After graduating, she became a teacher in Hilo, Hawaii, in 1913. In 1914, she became ill, suffered paralysis, and passed away at the age of 29. In recognition of her family’s legacy, the Rodgers family home in Stockton was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.