15/10/2025
October marks Black History Month here in the United Kingdom and we would like to celebrate some of the pioneers in healthcare.
Mary Seacole (1805-1881)
Born in Jamaica, Mary Seacole travelled to England following the outbreak of the Crimean War where she applied to be an army nurse. However, despite her medical background, her application was refused. Not allowing this to stop her, Seacole travelled to Crimea alone where she established a refuge for soldiers, the British Hotel.
A memorial statue of Seacole was erected at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London in 2016 following a long campaign led by Lord Soley and Dame Elizabeth Anionwu.
Dr Harold Moody (1882 – 1947)
A physician, humanitarian and anti-racist campaigner, Moody was born in Jamaica and in 1904 travelled to England to study at King’s College London. Despite his academic achievements, he was denied work due to racial prejudices. This led to Moody establishing his own practice in Peckham in 1913.
The Race Relations Act 1965 – the first legislation in the UK to prohibit discrimination on the grounds of colour, race, ethnicity, or national origins – was credited to him because of his campaigning.
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu (1947-)
Dame Anionwu's tireless dedication to nursing saw her travel to the US to study counselling for sickle-cell and thalassemia. Upon her return, Anionwu worked with Dr Milica Brozovic to create the UK’s first sickle-cell and thalassemia counselling centre in Brent, a model for over 30 centres across Britain.
She later became a professor and dean of the nursing school at the University of West London and established the Mary Seacole Centre for Nursing Practice in 1998; addressing the racial inequalities in the profession. In 2017, she was honoured with a Damehood for her outstanding services.
