Women’s History Month
A-Life Postpartum MLPM would like to celebrate and honor Rebecca L. Crumpler, for Women’s History Month the first Black woman in 1864 to earn a medical degree in the United States, and the only African American woman to graduate from the New England Female Medical College, which merged with Boston University School of Medicine in 1873. Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was born in 1831 in Delaware, her early career choice in medicine came from her influence of her aunt, whom she spent her early years with in Pennsylvania. Crumpler watched her aunt care for sick neighbors, and people who were formerly enslaved and had no access to medical care, her spirit led her to pursue working in the medical field. Dr. Crumpler practiced in Boston then moved to Richmond, VA where she felt she would be able to fulfill her passion in missionary work and become more familiar with diseases of women and children. “ The last quarter of the year 1866, I was enabled… to have access each day to a very large number of the indigent, and others of different classes, in a population of over 30,000 colored people.”
Dr. Crumpler joined many other black physicians caring for freed slaves who did not have access to medical care, working with the Freedmen’s Bureau, missionaries and community groups, black physicians experienced intense racism working in the post-civil war. The number of black healthcare professionals grew after the civil war. In her Book of Medical Discourses, published in 1883, she discusses her career path, and how being influenced by her kind aunt in Pennsylvania was the onset of her career in medicine and seeking every opportunity to relieve the suffering of others. During her time in nursing she served under different doctors for eight years from 1852 to 1860 in her hometown of Charlestown, Massachusetts. In admiration Dr. Crumpler received letters commending her to the faculty of the New England Female Medical College, four years afterwards, she received the degree of doctress of medicine. Although little has survived to tell the story of Rebecca Lee Crumpler’s life, she has secured her place in the historical record with her book of medical advice for women and children, published in 1883. Not many photos exist of Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, only what comes before the introduction to her book, a remarkable mark of her achievements as a physician and medical writer in a time when little African American were able to gain admittance to medical college. Furthermore publish a book which was one of the first medical publications by an African American.
I admire Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler for her tenacious spirit that reminds me of my mother who was also in the medical field as a nurse in 1983. She became a Certified Nursing Assistant then proceeded to go back to nursing school and became a Licensed Practical Nurse. Starting out as a CNA she faced challenges getting her foot in the door with no experience. One day my mother received information from her friend about a nursing home that needed nurses, she explained that the only issue was that the nursing home was located in a Russian neighborhood. Not many blacks would be caught dead in a Russian or Italian neighborhood back in the early 80’s. My mom was ready to begin working in her career field, which she was passionate about. She made the call to the director, and they told her she would meet someone at a location to bring her to the jobsite, it seemed weird to be meeting with someone instead of showing up to the nursing home. Her first day she met a man that would take her and a few other nurses to the nursing home. I believed they all thought it was a little weird to have an escort to the nursing home. As they approached the 24-floor nursing home the driver told them they would be working in place of the nurses that were on strike in the street. To my mom's surprise the nurses who were striking were both black and white nurses fighting for one cause. The van entered the back of the nursing home, and they came in and did their job, she was offered a full-time position once the strike was over. Then she proceeded to go back to nursing school and become a Licensed Practical Nurse.
Rebecca Lee Crumpler faced indecent adversaries one my mom or I could not have imagined, but because of her passion and determination she made history. Let us not forget what the women of history have gone through for us to have a place in this world, especially in the middle field. We will forever honor them. Cheers to you Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler.
Sources:
https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_73.html
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