Olivia Cousins, a feminist scholar, historian, and long-time faculty member at the Borough of Manhattan Community College of the City University of New York, died recently in Brooklyn. She was 71 years old.
A native of Dayton, Ohio, Dr. Cousins was a 1970 graduate of the University of Dayton, where she majored in psychology and was a charter member of the university’s Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She went on to earn a master’s degree in education and social policy at Harvard University and a master’s degree in African American studies and a Ph.D. in medical/community sociology from Boston University.
Dr. Cousins joined the faculty at the Borough of Manhattan Community College in 1987. In addition to teaching, she founded the college’s Women’s Resource Center and chaired the health and education department. She was also the founder of the John Mercer Langston Institute in Oberlin, Ohio.
Professor Cousins taught me in her last women’s health concerns class that recently ended this spring. She was an inspiration and a phenomenal teacher. She will be truly missed. R.I.P Professor Cousins.