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Creator
Petioni, Muriel, 1914-2011
Call number
Sc MG 808
Physical description
5.33 linear feet (10 boxes)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
[Item], Muriel Petioni papers, Sc MG 808, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Known as the "Mother of Medicine in Harlem", Muriel Petioni was a doctor and community leader. The Muriel Petioni papers reflect primarily on her participation in various organizations including the Gayap Organization; they also include professional correspondence; African diaspora related documents; and Harlem related documents.

Biographical/historical information

Muriel Petioni was born in 1914 in Trinidad and Tobago. Her father moved to Harlem in 1918 after his outspoken views about local political and economic conditions in Trinidad damaged his future career opportunities. Petioni's father became a physician, opened a private practice in Harlem, and was the personal physician to Marcus Garvey. In 1919 at the age of 5, Petioni, along with her mother and siblings, moved to Harlem to join her father. Petioni was strongly influenced by her father's commitment to medicine, community, and political activism. After attending public schools in Harlem and eventually graduating from Wadleigh High School, she enrolled in the pre-med program at New York University. Two years later she transferred to Howard University and received her B.A. in 1934 and her M.D. in 1937. As the only female in her graduating class of 1937, Petioni was already starting to blaze trails. Petioni taught at various universities, started a private practice, and held various positions at a number of hospitals. As a leader in the community, Petioni sat on numerous boards, including the Trinidad and Tobago GAYAP Organization, New York Council for Smaller Churches, Friends of Harlem Hospital Center, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, to name a few. Petioni was also affiliated with many other organizations, including the Susan Smith McKinney Steward Medical Society (Founder and President 1974-1984, member thereafter), Medical Women of NMA (now Council of Women's Concerns, Founder and first President), Doctor's Council of the City of New York (Treasurer 1980-1984), Coalition of 100 Black Women, and Inner City Broadcasting Company. The "Mother of Medicine in Harlem" proved to be a pioneering figure in Harlem and in the medical profession, servicing her community until her death in 2011.

Scope and arrangement

The Muriel Petioni papers reflect primarily on her participation in various organizations, including the Gayap Organization; also included are professional correspondence; African diaspora related documents; and Harlem related documents. There is limited information about Petioni's personal life included in the collection.

The Muriel Petioni papers are arranged in four series:

  • Personal
    ca. 1940-2008

    This series consist of biographical information about her professional life, travel records, personal notes, biographies, resumes, address books, contact lists, personal correspondence, medical practice records, documents related to her property at 456 Manhattan Ave, and papers related to her cousin Micheal Shelton.

  • Professional
    ca. 1960-2003

    This series mostly contains professional correspondence to and from Petioni over the course of her career; there are a few records related to her private practice.

  • Organizational files
    ca. 1950-2003

    This series includes files on the various organizations with which Petioni was affiliated or for which she was a board member. Additionally, there are files related to the African diaspora as it related to her, material related to her experience in Harlem, papers related to events and activities in Harlem, and material related to various subject files. The Gayap files documents the organization's work and its relationship with various businesses and organizations in the home island and the United States as well as offers sketches of the contributions and interests of Trinbagonian and other Caribbean individuals and organizations in the United States. Materials of interest are: letters regarding Eric Williams' official 1964 visit to New York; a letter to Cyril Ollivierre from George T. Daniel, member of the United Nations Advisory Council for the Trust Territory in Somaliland, wherein he describes the land and people of Somalia and reflects on the African continent; and Ollivierre's obituary of his close associate, the pan-Africanist George Padmore. Organizations represented in the collection include the Caribbean Leagues of America, Trinidad a Tobago Alliance of the USA and West Indies Student Liaison Office.

  • Printed matter
    ca. 1950-2000

    This series contains publications and newspaper articles, including some featuring Petioni.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of Muriel Petioni, September 2008.

Revision History

Finding aid updated by Lauren Stark. (2020 October 29)

Processing information

Processed by Candice Carr, December 2014.

Separated material

Transferred to the General Research and Reference Division: books

Transferred to the Photographs and Prints Division: photographs

Related Material

George Padmore letters, Sc MG 624, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Using the collection

Location

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor