An interview with Rosetta Henderson and a digital exhibit exploring her life and accomplishments is now at the Hagley Museum and Library. This January 2023 addition to the museum’s archives is part of the its oral history project recognizing Black STEM Pioneers in Delaware.
With advanced degrees in chemistry, Henderson pursued a career in research and joined DuPont in 1965 as its first Black woman chemist. Her interview was conducted by prizewinning oral historian Dr. Jeanne Nutter (a member of our church) and filmed by former CBS and CNN cameraman Ron Dean.
Henderson’s interview traces her life from growing up as one of sixteen siblings in segregated Alabama to her educational life and accomplishments at Alabama State University, participation in the Civil Rights Movement, graduate studies at Fisk University, and her pharmaceutical research at DuPont’s Experimental Station.
Henderson also discusses her move to Wilmington in the late 1960s, navigating housing in the segregated city, and balancing a career, marriage, and two children.
Click here to learn more about Rosetta Henderson and the Hagley Museum.
