People, Locations, Episodes

Black History, and American Abortion, a story

*Black history and American abortion are affirmed on this date in 1500. African women endured many crimes against humanity as part of the Middle Passage. White rape from enslavers and forced childbearing to supply labor for the slave base agrarian culture of the 13 colonies, Antebellum South, and more. Beginning in the 17th century, abortion and […]

James Durham, Physician, born

On this date we remember the birth of James Durham in 1762. He was the first recognized Black physician in the United States.

Dr. Nathan Thomas, Abolitionist born

*Nathan M. Thomas was born on this date in 1803. He was a white-American doctor and abolitionist.  He was born in Mount Pleasant, Jefferson Co., Ohio, the son of Jesse and Avis (Stanton) Thomas, both devout Quakers. He studied medicine with local practitioners and at the Medical College of Ohio in Cincinnati. In June 1830, […]

Mary Seacole, Nurse, and Abolitionist born

*The birth of Mary Grant Seacole in 1805 is celebrated on this date. She was a Jamaican nurse and abolitionist.

Mary Jane Grant was born in Kingston, Jamaica; her father was a Scottish soldier, and her mother a Jamaican. Mary learned her nursing skills from her mother, who kept a boarding house for invalid soldiers. Although technically ‘free’, being of mixed race, Mary and her family had few civil rights – they could not vote, hold public office or enter the professions.

J. Marion Sims, Racist Gynecologist born

*J. Marion Sims was born on this date in 1813. He was a white-American doctor who is often called the Father of gynecology.  From Lancaster, SC, James Marion Sims was one of two sons of John Jarrett “Jack” Sims, a county sheriff, and Mahala Mackey Sims. His brother’s name was John Jarrett Sims Jr.  J. […]

Lord Beaconsfield Landry, Doctor, and Activist born

*Lord Beaconsfield Landry was born on this date in 1878. He was an African American physician, civic leader and vocal soloist.

David Livingstone, Congregationalist born

*David Livingstone was born on this date in 1813. He was a white-Scottish physician, Congregationalist, and Christian missionary.  He was born in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, and grew up in a single tenement room with several siblings. He started working at a cotton mill company as a child and would follow his long work schedule with schooling […]

James McCune Smith, Physician born

On this date in 1813, James McCune Smith was born. He was an African American physician and abolitionist.

From New York City, he received his early education at the African Free School. Though his academic credentials were exceptional, Smith was effectively barred from American Colleges because he was Black. Thus, Smith entered Glasgow University in Scotland in 1832 and earned three academic degrees, including a doctorate in medicine. He also gained a reputation in the Scottish anti-slavery movement as an officer of the Glasgow Emancipation Society.

Louis C. Roudanez, Doctor, and Businessman born

The birth of Louis Charles Roudanez in 1823 is celebrated on this date. He was a Black Creole of color physician, civic leader, and news publisher.

James Skivring Smith, Doctor, and Politician born

*James Skivring Smith was born on this date in 1825. He was a Black doctor and politician.

Alexander Augusta, Doctor born

*Alexander Thomas Augusta was born on this date in 1825. He was a Black physician and educator.

From Norfolk, Virginia, as a young man he first made his way to Baltimore, Maryland, where he worked as a barber. He began his study of medicine with private tutors and next applied for admission to the University of Pennsylvania. Though access was denied, a Professor William Gibson was impressed with Augusta and brought him under his guidance.

Eliza Bryant, Nursing Home Administrator born

The birth of Eliza Bryant in 1827 is celebrated on this date. She was a Black abolitionist and businesswoman.

She grew up on a plantation in Wayne County North Carolina her parents were Polly Simmons, a slave, and her master. In 1848 her mother was freed and her family moved north, purchasing a home in Cleveland, Ohio with funds from her master. Young Bryant’s education is unknown but she was a pioneer in the movement to welcome and assist Blacks to the Cleveland area, particularly those moving from the southern states through the Great Migration after emancipation.

Rebecca Lee Crumpler, Physician born

*Rebecca Lee Crumpler was born on this date in 1831. She was a Black physician and author.

The Black Hospital in America, a story

On this date we celebrate Black Hospitals. Black hospitals have existed in three broad types: segregated, black-controlled, and demographically determined.

The Georgia Infirmary Opens

*The Georgia Infirmary was chartered on Christmas Eve, 1832.

Located in Savannah, GA this was the first hospital established for blacksin America. A few weeks later, on Jan. 15, 1833, Richard F. Williams, president, presided over the hospital’s first organization meeting. The hospital was established for the “relief and protection of aged and afflicted Negroes.”