Rebecca Lee Crumpler

Hello! My name is Rebecca, and I want to tell you my story. When I was a little girl, I lived with my aunt. She was wonderful at taking care of people in our town who felt sick. I would watch her make special teas and help our neighbors feel cozy and warm. I loved helping her. It made me so happy to see people smile and feel better. I knew, even then, that I wanted to spend my life helping others.

When I grew up, I decided to follow my big dream. I wanted to become a doctor! It was a very hard thing to do. Not many women were doctors back then, and no African American woman had ever become one before. But I knew I could do it. I went to a special school and studied my books. I learned all about how to care for people. In the year 1864, I did it! I became the very first African American woman doctor in the United States. I was so proud, and I could not wait to start helping families.

As a doctor, I took special care of mothers and their little children. I wanted to share everything I knew, so I wrote a book in 1883 called 'A Book of Medical Discourses.' It was full of ideas to help families stay healthy and strong. I lived to be 64 years old, and I spent my whole life keeping my promise to help others. People remember me today because I showed everyone that you can be the very first to do something amazing if you follow your heart and work hard. It is always a good time to help your community.