Rebecca Lee Crumpler

Hello, my name is Rebecca Lee Crumpler. I was born on February 8th, 1831, in Delaware, but I was raised in Pennsylvania by my wonderful aunt. She spent much of her time caring for sick people in our community, and I loved watching her work. Seeing her help our neighbors feel better planted a seed in my heart. I knew from a very young age that my mission in life was to help ease the suffering of others, just like she did.

When I grew up, I moved to Charlestown, Massachusetts. Around the year 1852, I began working as a nurse. For eight years, I cared for patients and learned everything I could about medicine. The doctors I worked with noticed how hard I worked and how much I cared. They saw my passion and encouraged me to go even further in my studies. They wrote letters recommending me for medical school, which was a very big deal back then. Thanks to their support, I was accepted to the New England Female Medical College in 1860. At that time, it was almost unheard of for a woman, especially an African American woman, to become a doctor, but I was determined to achieve my dream.

I studied as hard as I possibly could in medical school. Finally, on March 1st, 1864, all my hard work paid off when I graduated. I had officially earned the title of Doctor of Medicine, which made me the first African American woman in the United States to do so. I felt an incredible sense of pride. I soon opened my own medical practice in Boston, Massachusetts. My work focused on caring for women and children, especially those from poor communities who did not have easy access to doctors. Just as I started my new career, the American Civil War ended in 1865, and I felt a strong calling to help people in a new and important way.

After the war ended, I decided to move to Richmond, Virginia. There, I worked with an organization called the Freedmen's Bureau. My job was to provide medical care to thousands of African Americans who had just been freed from slavery. It was an enormous task. Many of them had never seen a doctor before and were suffering from terrible illnesses after years of hardship. The work was very challenging, and not just because of the sickness I saw. I faced intense racism and sexism. Many male doctors refused to work with me and made my job even more difficult. But I knew how much these families needed me, so I never gave up on them. After my time in Virginia, I returned to my practice in Boston, carrying the lessons I learned with me.

As my career went on, I wanted to share my knowledge with as many people as possible, even those who couldn't visit my office. I decided the best way to do that was to write a book. In 1883, I published 'A Book of Medical Discourses.' It was filled with all the advice and experience I had gained over the years, with a special focus on how to keep women and children healthy. It was one of the very first medical books ever published by an African American author, and I hoped it would help families everywhere take better care of themselves.

I spent the rest of my life with my husband, Arthur, in Hyde Park, Massachusetts. I lived to be 64 years old. When I started my journey, I was the only one like me, but I hoped that my example would open the door for many other women and African Americans to follow their dreams in medicine. Today, I am remembered as a pioneer who broke barriers and dedicated her life to caring for those most in need.