(November 1, 1885 – October 28, 1972) was a civil rights activist and the second African-American woman in California to receive a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree.

"[11] some of which are the Los Angeles League of Women Voters, the Council on Public Affairs, UCLA's YWCA and the USC Half Century Club.

This hotel became a gathering place for those African Americans who wanted social change as well as an example of how the educated black class was beginning to contribute new status and ideas into the discussion of race in America.

In 1948, Vada helped to co-found the Los Angeles County Human Relations Committee and established the Pilgrim House Community Center designed to take care of the health needs of black families who migrated to LA during World War II.

One of her final accomplishments was her creation of The Stevens House, a multiracial dormitory at UCLA made to foster better interracial relations between students.

Both John and Vada Somerville are revered at the USC Dental School, where their portraits are hanging as symbols of ambition and perseverance.

The civil rights movement, including the Brown v. Board of Education decision and Rosa Parks's legacy, became a reality in large part due to the efforts of Vada Somerville and other women like her across the country.