Dr. Emma Wakefield-Paillet Honored With Historic Marker

The newly-founded Iberia African American Historical Society (IAAHS) received approval from the Louisiana Office of Tourism under the Office of Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser for the erection of a state historic marker honoring Dr. Emma Wakefield-Paillet, the first Black woman to receive a medical degree and to establish a medical practice in Louisiana.

The marker will be installed in the heart of the historic district (Bouligny Plaza, Main Street). Plans are to hold the marker installation ceremony in the Fall of 2018 to coincide roughly with the sesquicentennial (150 years) celebration of the founding of Iberia Parish (Oct. 30, 1868) and the sesquicentennial anniversary of Dr. Wakefield-Paillet’s birth (Nov. 21, 1868).