On June 30, the groundbreaking statue of great Jamaican nurse Mary Seacole was revealed to the public at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London. The massive monument is the first to celebrate a Black woman in Britain.
Atlanta Black Star reported in mid-June that the $730,000 statue caused an uproar among supporters of another prominent nurse, Florence Nightingale. Supporters claim Seacole does not deserve the statue because her contributions to nursing were not as impactful as Nightingale.
Seacole started a “British Hotel” during the Crimean War that became a pseudo-hospital for wounded soldiers.
In the video from 5 News, the reporter talks with Emeritus Professor Elizabeth Anionwu about Seacole’s incredible life. Anionwu says the Jamaican nurse did not have sponsors when she decided to venture off to the Balkans to help soldiers. Seacole faced constant rejection, but she persevered.
“At 49, she used her entrepreneurial skills to raise funds to get out to the battlefield,” Anionwu explains.
