Black Cross Nurses

In the good old days in Canada, prospective Black nurses were told to go to the United States, as they were not permitted to study nursing in Canada, at least not until the middle of the 2oth century. American schools began allowing Black folks into nursing in the 1870s but very few were admitted to their schools.

And so, under the guidance of Henrietta Vinton Davis ("the premier actress of all 19th century black performers on the dramatic stage"), a group of Black women launched the first chapter of the Black Cross Nurses in Philadelphia in 1920, with an approach and a name derived from the Red Cross.

Their official title was the Universal African Black Cross Nurses and their story starts with Marcus Garvey, founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League aka UNIA.

Garvey held controversial views. As a separatist he attracted racist groups to his cause. Despite this, he garnered praise for encouraging a sense of self-worth among Africans amid widespread poverty and discrimination. In Jamaica he is recognized as a national hero. And his ideas are said to have influenced such movements as Rastafari, the Nation of Islam and the Black Power Movement.

The UNIA became one of the largest civil rights movements of the 20th century. Garvey founded it in 1914 in Kingston, Jamaica, his birthplace. In 1918, he moved UNIA’s headquarters to Harlem. Soon, chapters were established all over North America and throughout the Caribbean.

The first centres in Canada were in Montreal and Toronto in 1920. A total of 32 divisions quickly sprang up in both urban and rural communities across the country. Canadian Garveyites participated in their local divisions by planning events, meetings and field trips as a way to build stronger communities.

In 1925 the Toronto chapter bought a building at 355 College Street, just west of Augusta Avenue, on the edge of Kensington Market. It served as TO’s UNIA headquarters until 1982 and had been an important cultural hub during that time. UNIA’s choirs and bands offered artistic outlets for members as well as entertainment for the community.

The College Street building was torn down not long ago but a plaque on the site commemorates UNIA’s existence there.

Garvey supported the creation of the Black Cross Nurses, seeing it as a means of integrating Black women into active roles as well as furthering their education. The BCN provided training that lasted from six months to a year.

The aim of the BCN was to ensure that quality care was available to everyone. Bolstering this was the establishment of their medical clinics throughout North America. While most states had a Black Cross Nurse presence, the largest concentration was in Harlem. 

In Toronto, where Black women were banned from becoming professional nurses, the BCN offered them the opportunity to learn nursing skills, promote hygiene, help mothers with childcare, distribute food and clothing. And they provided comfort to the sick and suffering by visiting them in their homes or the hospital or by sending flowers.

Aspiring Black Cross Nurses in Toronto took St. John Ambulance courses to become better educated in matters of health and hygiene. They also created pamphlets and newsletters to keep their communities informed on health issues. The Toronto chapter sent medical supplies to Ethiopia during the Italo-Abyssinian War of 1935.

By the late 1940s Black women were allowed to study nursing in Canada and the BCN was phased out. It was also the year Garvey died and his UNIA centres also began to fade away. The Toronto division closed in 1982, but chapters still run in Montréal and Nova Scotia. And they continue to offer services today.

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