Mary Seacole
One of the only two known photographs of Mary Seacole, taken circa 1873 by Maull & Company in London
Born on November 23, 1805, to a Scottish Lieutenant and a Creole healer, Mary Jane Seacole's extraordinary life began in a community of free Black people in Kingston. Renowned for her prowess as a healer, astute businesswoman, and groundbreaking author, Mary Seacole's legacy has rightfully been reclaimed and celebrated.
In addition to being renowned for her combination of traditional herbal healing with more modern medicine, she was a keen businesswoman and an avid traveler. She documented her experiences as a Creole woman in London and various Caribbean islands, such as colonial Cuba and the new Republic of Haiti.
Influenced by her mother, a healer known as "The Doctress" who also managed a boardinghouse, Seacole's early years of training involved practicing with dolls and animals. Exposure to military personnel events laid the foundation for her future role treating the wounded.
She is known for treating yellow fever patients in Jamaica and cholera patients during the epidemic in Panama, where she also ran a hotel and a boarding house for women. Despite discrimination, she stood resilient in her identity, emphatically rejecting the notion of bleaching her skin with a powerful statement, “If I had been as dark as any [n-word], I should have been just as happy and just as useful, and as much respected by those whose respect I value.”
Undeterred by sponsorship rejections leading into the Crimean War, Seacole funded her own ventures, questioning whether her race played a role in her setbacks. Nevertheless, she opened The British Hotel and restaurant, catered for spectators, and tended to the wounded near the battlefield. Seacole's herbal remedies, personable demeanor, and hands-on approach earned her the admiration and respect of those she cared for. Although Mrs. Seacole returned from Crimea bankrupt, prominent donors contributed to a fund in her support, recognizing the undeniable impact she had on morale.
In 1857, she made history by publishing, "The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands,” becoming the first Black woman to publish an autobiography in Britain.
Mary Seacole's legacy has endured, and her contributions to nursing and healthcare have been increasingly recognized and celebrated. Her name is honored in Jamaica and in Britain, where her name graces buildings, statues, and plaques. In 1990, Seacole was posthumously awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit and In 2004, for the initial launch of the 100 Great Black Britons campaign, Mary Seacole was voted the Greatest Black Britons of all time.
Statue of Mary Seacole at St. Thomas’ Hospital, London by Martin Jennings
