WHEREAS, Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was born February 8, 1831 in Christina, Delaware to Absolum Davis and Matilda Webber; and
WHEREAS, in 1860, there were 54,543 physicians in the United States, 300 of whom were women, yet none of them were Black; and
WHEREAS, when she graduated in 1864, Dr. Crumpler was our Nation’s first Black woman to earn an M.D. degree, and the only Black woman to graduate from the New England Female Medical College; and
WHEREAS, upon graduation, Dr. Crumpler joined other Black physicians caring for people who had been enslaved, who would otherwise have had no access to medical care, working with the Freedmen's Bureau and missionary and community groups, even though Black physicians experienced intense racism working in the postwar South; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Crumpler may be the first certified Black female physician in the United States, we take this moment to remember and honor the generations of Black women that cared for and healed ailing people with traditional medicines and practices in the United States and predating the formation of the United States; and
WHEREAS, no known verified photos or other images survive of Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler; and
WHEREAS, we know about Dr. Crumpler’s contributions to science and medicine from her 1883 published book “
A Book Of Medical Discourses
” which is one of the very first publications by a Black author and is believed to be the first medical text written by a Black author; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Crumpler is recognized for her remarkable achievements as a physician and medical writer in a time when very few Black Americans were able to gain admittance to medical college, let alone publish works; and
WHEREAS, systemic racism and anti-Blackness continue to affect both patients and medical practitioners in the U.S. and elsewhere and often ignored are the facts that Black scientists and physicians have been among the pioneers of medical science.
NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 151st General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that the day of June 21, 2022, is proclaimed as “Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler Day”.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the General Assembly requests the State issue a proclamation calling upon the people of Delaware to observe such day with appropriate ceremonies and activities and to urge the departments and agencies of Delaware and interested organizations, groups, and individuals to honor the contributions of Black women to science and medicine.
