This Black History month, we highlight two remarkable Black British women who have made significant contributions to nursing and healthcare and whose lives and legacies are intertwined – despite being separated by over a century. This year’s theme, “changing narratives” provides an excellent lens with which to discuss Mary Seacole and Dame Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu. With these two incredible individuals, we look at the powerful, but often forgotten, legacy of Black women in British healthcare.
Mary Seacole is one of the rare examples of a still celebrated Black woman in British STEM before the 1900s. Born in 1805 in British Jamaica, Seacole learnt traditional Caribbean herbal medicine from her mother, exposing her to medical practices from an early age. Mary did excellent medical work (and business) throughout her life, with her contributions during the Crimean War being what she is most known for. After being refused for a nursing position by the British War Office (for what is likely due to reasons of racial prejudice), she travelled to Crimea with her own funds, establishing a hotel for injured soldiers. For this, she was said at the time to be “as well known as Florence Nightingale”, providing hot meals, medical attention, and a comforting space to British soldiers. In contrast to the rigid nature of the care for which Nightingale was known, praise for Seacole comes from her warmth and compassion along with the medical care she provided – placing great emphasis on the emotional wellbeing of her residents. She wrote her own autobiography in 1957, whimsically named “Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands”, which documents her medical knowledge and allows her remarkable achievements to be recognised today. However, unlike Nightingale, Seacole’s legacy was almost forgotten for a century after her death, until those like Dame Elizabeth Anionwu pushed for her remembrance.
Born in 1947, Dame Elizabeth Nneka Anionwu has made enormous contributions to the treatment of sickle cell disease and thalassemia (a blood disorder affecting haemoglobin – two diseases which disproportionately impact people of colour – as well as her work to ensure recognition and secure the legacy of Mary Seacole.
Working with haematologist Milica Brozovic, Anionwu founded the first sickle-cell and thalassemia counselling centre in Brent, which proceeded to become the model for many more such centres in the UK, treating countless individuals with the blood diseases. In 2001 she wrote The Politics of Sickle Cell and Thalassemia, emphasising the conditions’ “importance in gaining recognition of the (healthcare) needs of minority ethnic groups”. She criticized the NHS modernization plans, pointing out that “haemoglobinopathies would have higher priority if they were not seen as ‘black’ conditions”. Through her tireless advocacy, Anionwu has worked to shift perceptions of these diseases, fighting to bring the attention and resources to those afflicted with them that they deserve.
In 1998 she created the Mary Seacole Centre for Nursing Practice at the University of West London to honour Seacole’s contributions and “enable the integration of a multi-ethic philosophy into the process of nursing”. Alongside her scientific writing, she wrote “A Short History of Mary Seacole” in 2005, further securing Seacole’s name in history.
Even after retiring in 2007, she has continued to advocate for healthcare equality, highlighting the effect of Covid-19 on Black and Asian Communities, and push for greater recognition of underserved communities.
In 2016, the Mary Seacole memorial statue was unveiled at St Thomas’ Hospital in London, which as vice-chairperson of the Mary Seacole memorial statue appeal, Anionwu played a huge role in raising over £750,000 for. The statue stands as a powerful reminder of the often over-looked roles Black women have played in shaping British healthcare today. Overlooking the houses of parliament, Anoinwu mentioned that it plays on her “naughty sense of humour”, imagining the statue is “keeping an eye” on the politicians – reminding them to work “for the people”. Reflecting on what inspires her, she stated this was: “seeing the improvements that have happened so far. But I’m not satisfied until other gaps in service for BME patients and health professionals are addressed”.
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu became a Life Patron of the Mary Seacole Trust in 2016 – a charity focused on the remembrance of Seacole and the promotion of her work.
Looking at these two women and their intertwined work and legacy, we see a snapshot spanning centuries of the fight for healthcare equality, with Seacole’s determination building a foundation for Anionwu to share and address systemic inequalities over 100 years later. Together, they contribute incredible legacies not just to healthcare, but in the work for equality, reminding us that work is far from over.
Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons
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