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Mary Seacole is held in much pride as she brought more than her skills in nursing to those who admired her. She was a humanitarian and, more importantly, took care of people in a holistic way. “She was not about just sticking a plaster on and sending them on their way,” says Sister Monica, a community worker whose previous roles included working as a Roman Catholic chaplain with responsibility for the Caribbean at Westminster; hence a pivotal person with The Friends of Mary Seacole.
Jamaican nursing heroine makes her mark on British way of life and tops 100 Great Black Britons poll
It was no surprise to learn that Mary Grant Seacole topped the Every Generation 2004 Campaign to find 100 Great Black Britons. Patrick Vernon founder of the campaign was overwhelmed with positive responses from various sectors and has since attended meetings with regard to developing more information for the campaign for recognition within the community, writes Mia Morris FRSA.
Seacole was born in 1805 in Jamaica and made her mark on British public life when she went to the Crimea [by her own efforts] to bring comfort to the wounded and dying soldiers, after her offers to help were rejected by the Government. She was awarded a Crimean medal, and in 1857 published her autobiography, The Wonderful Adventures of Mary Seacole in Many Lands. Seacole died in 1881, and is buried in St Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green, London.
Many black women came from the Caribbean, post Windrush†, to serve as nurses. The appeal of the UK was that they were given job status, the opportunity to share their holistic beliefs, and lodgings all in one fell swoop. Not surprisingly, the UK’s National Health Service [NHS] is the third largest employer of people from ethnic backgrounds in the world.
Royal College of Nurses President, Sylvia Denton OBE, FRCN said:
“As a black Jamaican woman in the 19th century Mary Seacole stood up against the discrimination and prejudices she encountered. Against all odds Mary had an unshakeable belief in the power of nursing to make a difference.”
Mary Seacole’s efforts would not have been brought to the fore without the help of ‘The Friends of Mary Seacole’, an organisation that worked together to ensure that Seacole’s life was commemorated with an annual wreath laying ceremony which started in 1981.
In November 2003 a campaign for a permanent memorial of Mary Seacole in London was launched. A public garden in memory of Mary Seacole is planned for the area close to where she is buried.
The year of 2005 marked the 200th anniversary of her birth and so the campaign to erect a statue gathered momentum. The question though is should it be erected in Trafalgar Square or in an area more acquainted with the people Mary represented? [For further information about the campaign visit websites: maryseacole.com or international-womens-month.co.uk. Barclays Bank through its Cultural and Diversity Network has also taken a great interest in this project].
In 1994 the Department of Health announced and launched the Mary Seacole Nursing Leadership Award. The Award was intended ‘to support a BME [Black, Minority, Ethnic] Nurse studying in preparation for a leading position in nursing which would also benefit the health of Black and Ethnic communities’.
It was acknowledged in various policy documents, and by staff in the NHS, that ‘people from the black and ethnic minorities are significantly under–represented in senior positions, as in other areas of the NHS workforce’. The Award was intended to kick–start a process that would start to redress this situation as well as benefiting the individual to whom it was awarded.
Subjects covered range across a wide area of care including: forensic mental health, Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia, paediatric home care, school children’s health, sexual health, stroke care, care of the elderly, midwifery care, women’s mental health and medicine management for BME patients in the community.
There is clear evidence to show that the winners of the Mary Seacole Leadership Awards have benefited enormously. They represent a cadre of nurses who have shown how policy applied to practice can benefit patients. These individuals epitomise a successful knowledge and skills frame-work. Their success also shows what can be achieved from investing in BME nurses.
The Department of Health is continuing to support the Mary Seacole name and heritage and a further £125,000 is to be awarded to 20 BME nurses working directly with patients at the frontline in the NHS. As with the Leadership Awards, the new awards will be administered by the Royal College of Nurses in collaboration with the Royal College of Midwives, the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association and UNISON [the workers union].
†The first organised recruitment to the UK from the Caribbean.
For more information visit the Mary Seacole Resource Centre website at: www.maryseacole.com and the 100 Great Black Britons’ website at: www.100greatblackbritons.com.
Factfile
Mia Morris has a wide experience of working directly with the unemployed and those on low income in the voluntary, private and public sector. Her skills relate to regeneration, training, community outreach and development. Current clients include: Inspire Education Business Partnership Hackney, Islington Council Social Inclusion Unit, Black History Month in Education Programme, Youth Aid Lewisham schools organiser, Caribbean Black Cake Project, Home Office Network and West Mercia Police Constabulary. Mia runs a successful research and development consultancy, Well Placed Consultancy, which has an event management search and training function. Visit website at: www.wellplaced.co.uk.
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