The Black Cross Nurses (BCN) were established by Marcus Garvey as one facet of the Universal Negro Improvement Association’s (UNIA) goal to develop a “black nation-state-in-waiting”. The first BCN unit was established in Philadelphia and was aimed to be the principal healthcare provider for the UNIA but also expected to tend to the armed forces, namely UNIA’s own militia and the African Legion. They educated the public on proper sanitation techniques to prevent the spread of disease, attended to the sick in their division, and were expected to enact a system of “relief” in the case of a natural disaster or epidemic. The BCN also provided an opportunity for black women to pursue a career in nursing, a field with otherwise very limited horizons for women of color.
Narrative
Audio