Black Women In White Scrubs

People of African descent have played a crucial role in the First and Second World Wars. Although Black people were allowed to fight as early as before Confederation, though often in segregated units, they continuously experienced discrimination. In the U.S., the need for nurses during the Spanish Flu forced the government to let Black nurses work, due to the overwhelming number of patients. On the other hand, Canadian universities, such as the University of Toronto, McGill, Dalhousie, and other nursing schools, banned women of colour from receiving the necessary education until the 1940s, so the only option for them was to travel south to study in America. However, the rapidly changing Canadian healthcare system had a shortage of caregiver staff, which the government tried to fulfill in multiple ways, including encouraging young girls to pursue this career and immigration, but these efforts were unable to completely eradicate the labour shortage in patient-care staff after the war. Although slowly, Canada’s attitude towards race was starting to shift. Still, restrictions towards the migration of Black people were stricter and lasted longer than those towards Europeans, even from the “undesired” parts of the continent. However, the laws aimed at restricting Black immigration did not completely stop it, so even before the government started reducing these racist limitations in the 1950s, nurses of African descent still moved to Canada in small numbers. Both groups faced discrimination in employment, pay, education, and other areas regarding the field of nursing. This exhibition intends to showcase the experiences of these nurses, their contributions to the field of medicine, the difficulties they faced on the governmental and societal level, and shine a light on their individual lives. Using first-hand accounts, photographs, as well as research by other historians, this exhibit intends to highlight the hard work of Black nurses in postwar era Canada.