Nationwide — Inez Phillips Durham and her daughter, Jennifer Durham, who are African American, have made history at Rutgers University as the first parent-child duo to earn doctorates in psychology. Their journey spans decades of education, perseverance, and shared determination.
Inez first arrived at Rutgers’ New Jersey College for Women in 1953, the only Black student at the school. She faced exclusion, including not being assigned a roommate, but she turned obstacles into opportunities. By 1957, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in psychology and went on to complete a Master’s in social work in 1961.
After her husband died in 1975, Inez raised her daughter as a single mother while working as a psychotherapist, school social worker, and tennis instructor. She returned to Rutgers in 1984 to earn her doctorate in psychology, balancing demanding studies with motherhood.
“I did it by the grace of God,” Inez told People. “I prayed every day for the determination to get that degree. It wasn’t easy, but we managed. I say ‘we’ because Jennifer had to be more independent.”
Jennifer grew up watching her mother study, often sharing the medical science library, with Inez working on her dissertation while Jennifer did homework. “She was my first role model of what a leader was,” Jennifer said, describing their bond as “mother-sister.”
Inspired by Inez, Jennifer pursued her own doctorate, earning her Ph.D. in psychology in 1992, 8 years after her mother. In 2020, she returned to Rutgers as a professor, focusing on reducing educational and mental health disparities among marginalized youth — a mission she credits to Inez.
Rutgers now honors them as trailblazers, the first parent-child pair to achieve doctorates in psychology from GSAPP, leaving a legacy of service and inspiration for future generations.