Susan Smith McKinney Steward Park

Bridge St., Jay St. bet. Prospect St. and York St.

Brooklyn

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The park is named for pioneering physician Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Steward (1847 – 1918). She was the first African-American female physician in New York State and the third in the nation. She maintained a medical practice from 1870 to 1895, specializing in prenatal care and childhood diseases, and co-founded the Brooklyn Women’s Homeopathic Hospital and Dispensary. She also served as an official physician at the Brooklyn Home for Aged Colored People, one of the first medical institutions in Weeksville. She was a member of the Kings County Medical Society and New York State Homeopathic Medical Societies.

In addition to her impact as a medical professional, McKinney Steward was a steadfast advocate for women’s rights and racial equality, helping found the Women’s Loyal Union and serving in the Equal Suffrage League of Brooklyn. In 1911, she delivered a speech titled “Colored Women in America” at the first Universal Race Congress.

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