Joyce Mitchell Cook

Joyce Mitchell Cook was an American philosopher born on October 28, 1933, in Sharon, Pennsylvania. She passed away on June 6, 2014. Cook made history as the first African American woman to obtain a PhD in philosophy in the United States, earning her degree from Yale University in 1965. Her dissertation was titled "A Critical Examination of Stephen C. Pepper's Theory of Value." After Yale, she became the first female teaching assistant for a non-language class at the university. Cook's career included teaching positions at Wellesley College, Connecticut College, and Howard University. She also worked as an analyst for African affairs at the State Department, an editor, and in the Office of Economic Opportunity. Her primary philosophical interest was value theory, a field she remained engaged with throughout her life. In 2007, she received the Flame Award from the Collegium of Black Women Philosophers. Despite publishing relatively little, her impact is acknowledged through initiatives like the American Philosophical Association's Joyce Mitchell Cook Award and a conference held in her honor at Yale University in 2015. George Yancy, a prominent figure in African American philosophy, has highlighted her as a "significant pioneer" whose tenacity as a Black woman in a predominantly white and male field is of great importance.