Rebecca L. Crumpler was born in 1831. During the 1800s, it was a very bad time for African-Americans to receive proper medical treatment, if any, much less be in the medical profession. Rebecca moved to Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1852 and worked as a nurse until finally being accepted into New England Female Medical College in 1860. Right then she became the first African-American female to become a profession physician as well as the only African-American female to graduate from her college.
Rebecca never sought out to become wealthy by becoming a doctor, she only want to provide a service that was much needed in her community. She even worked for the Freedmen's Bureau to provide medical care for the newly freed slaves.
She not only faced racism from white doctors because of the color of her skin, but she also received racism from fellow African-American doctors because she was a woman.
Her legacy lives to this day, as her book, A Book of Medical Discourse, was the first book written by a woman of color about medicine.
The Rebecca Lee Society is one of the first medical societies for African-American women.
Women of Color have graced this earth and made miraculous changes that are often overlooked, but as we grow, we need to teach each generation that we have made a substantial difference in this world as a whole.
If you're a black women in the medical profession, Rebecca should definitely be one of the women that you look up to because she definitely paved the way for us today!
-Roll Up. Get Paid. Make a Difference.
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