Every February, Black History Month and the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11) invite us to look closely at the people whose stories have shaped science, justice, and community. One of those people is Alice Augusta Ball.

Alice Ball’s life was short, but her impact was enormous. As a young Black woman chemist in the early 1900s, she stepped into classrooms, laboratories, and hospital wards where very few women, and even fewer women of color, were allowed to stand.

A Young Scientist with Big Questions

Alice Augusta Ball was born in 1892 in Seattle, Washington, into a family that valued both creativity and learning. Her grandparents had been photographers, and Alice grew up surrounded by images, tools, and curiosity.

From an early age, she showed a love for science and problem-solving. In school, she:

• Excelled in chemistry and pharmacy.
• Learned how to ask good questions and test ideas.
• Pushed herself in subjects where girls were often told to “choose something easier.”

Her determination led her to the University of Hawaii, where she made history more than once.

Firsts and Milestones: A Woman of Color in Higher Education

At the University of Hawaii, Alice Ball became:

• The first woman to earn a master’s degree in chemistry.
• The first Black person to earn that degree.
• The first woman chemistry instructor at the university.

These “firsts” were not just titles. In the early 20th century, universities and laboratories were often closed off to women, Black students, and other people of color. It took courage just to walk into the room.

As a woman of color in science at that time, Alice likely faced:

• Doubt from people who did not expect a young Black woman to be a scientist.
• Isolation in classrooms and labs where she may have been one of the only women or the only Black person.
• Limited recognition, even when her work outshined that of others.

Despite this, she focused on doing the work and doing it well.

Taking on a Global Health Challenge

During Alice Ball’s time, Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy) was a deeply feared illness. People with the disease were often separated from their families and communities, and there was no fully reliable treatment.

Doctors used chaulmoogra oil, a traditional plant-based remedy, but it had serious problems:

• It was thick and hard to inject.
• It caused strong side effects when swallowed.
• The body could not absorb it well.

Alice Ball, still in her early twenties, took on the challenge of making this treatment actually work. She used her chemistry training to develop what would later be called the “Ball Method,” a way to turn chaulmoogra oil into a water-soluble, injectable form that the body could absorb.

Her method became the most effective treatment for leprosy for many years, allowing many patients to improve and even leave long-term isolation.

Barriers Beyond the Lab: Credit, Power, and Erasure

Being a woman of color in early 20th century science did not just make it hard for Alice Ball to get into the lab. It also made it harder for her to get credit for her discoveries.

After Alice Ball died in 1916 at age 24, a senior male colleague continued work related to chaulmoogra oil. For a time, her name and role were not clearly shared with the public. This kind of erasing or changing history was common for women scientists, especially women of color:

• Their ideas were used without their names.
• Their discoveries were minimized or claimed by others.
• Their stories were left out of textbooks and public history.

It took years for historians and advocates to fully restore Alice Ball’s name to the story of leprosy treatment. Today, her method is widely recognized, and she is finally honored as the true pioneer she was.

Standing Beside Other Women in STEM History

Alice Ball’s story is part of a much longer history of women in science. Long before her, women like Hypatia of Alexandria, a mathematician and philosopher in ancient Egypt, contributed to fields like mathematics and astronomy, even when it was dangerous or discouraged.

Across centuries, women have:

• Asked bold scientific questions.
• Studied the natural world, the human body, the stars, and more.
• Worked in homes, informal labs, hospitals, and universities-often without full recognition.

Alice Ball belongs in this global story of women and girls in science, standing alongside others who refused to let narrow expectations define what they could do.

What It Meant to Be a Woman of Color in Science Then and What It Means Now

For kids and adults today, it can be hard to imagine just how many barriers existed for a young Black woman scientist in the early 1900s. At that time, Alice Ball had to navigate:

• Racism, which limited where Black people could live, work, and study.
• Sexism, which suggested that science and higher education were not “for” women.
• Structural inequality, where funding, leadership roles, and honors went mostly to white men.

And yet, Alice still:

• Completed advanced degrees in chemistry and pharmacy.
• Became a respected instructor.
• Led research that changed medical treatment around the world.

Her story shows that talent is universal, but opportunity is not. When we celebrate her today, we are also recognizing the importance of removing barriers so that every child-no matter their race, gender, or background can explore science if they want to.

Conversation Starters for Kids and Classrooms

If you are talking about Alice Ball with children or students during Black History Month or the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, here are some simple questions to explore:

• What challenges do you think Alice Ball faced as a young Black woman scientist in the early 1900s?
• How might it feel to be the first or only person like you in a classroom or lab?
• Why is it important to give proper credit to scientists for their work?
• How does learning about Alice Ball change the way you think about who can be a scientist?

You might also invite learners to make connections to their own lives.

Honoring Alice Ball Today

On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and throughout Black History Month, Alice Ball’s story offers powerful reminders:

• Science is stronger when more voices and perspectives are included.
• Young people, including young women and girls of color, can lead breakthroughs that change lives.
• Sharing these stories today helps ensure that no one’s contributions are erased or forgotten again.

By learning and teaching about Alice Ball, we are not only honoring one brilliant chemist. We are also helping to build a future where every child can see themselves in science and every discovery is fully recognized.

Illustration by Maureen O’Brien