Celebrating the History of Black Nurses in Chicago
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There is a long history of Black nurses in the United States, as well as in Chicago, and a new project aims to shine a light on this important history. Through the new project Mapping Care: The History of Black Nurses in Chicago, this history is traced as far back as 1825, with the manumission of slave Jensey Snow for nursing services she provided to the town of Petersburg, Virginia.
The project is co-led by Gwyneth Franck, PhD, RN, MPH of the University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing, who serves as director of the Midwest Nursing History Research Center, and Karen Flynn, associate professor of gender and women’s studies and African American studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The project produced a web portal with information and resources, as well as an exhibition at the George C. Hall branch of Chicago Public Library. Current plans are for the exhibit to travel to Crane Medical Prep High School, followed by Englewood STEM High School, to help raise awareness of the role of Black woman and men in the nursing profession.
“The purpose of this display is to show that Black history deserves to be celebrated always, not just in February [during Black History Month],” said Franck. “It’s not a niche or special history. It’s part of our whole story. It’s part of the Chicago story.”