Becoming A Nurse: Discrimination In Education
The following picture shows six nursing students studying in the library of the Winnipeg General Hospital school of nursing, among them a Black student. The date of the photograph is uncertain, the archive states it was taken sometime between 1930 and 1960. This picture shows the diverse experiences of Black women in the nursing profession. Although we have very little information about this photograph, it still serves as evidence of existence of nurses of African descent throughout differnt provinces and decades
Bernice Redmon enjoyed taking care of sick pets, and dreamed of becoming a nurse from a very young age. Despite having a good education, she knew that she could not attend a Canadian university, as they denied admission to Black women in the 1940s, so she had to travel to the United States to study at St. Phillip Hospital Medical College in Virginia. This is a photogaph from her graduation day from the school. Notably, she graduated with an 89% average, and getting a 94% in the state board of examination, showcasing her extraordinary intellect. Bernice also reflects on her experience: "One thing that was very upsetting to the Black nurses… they usually had a head nurse in the operating room that was White. Now this didn’t make sense because we had well qualified [Black] nurses that could have been head nurse in the operating room", demonstrating the white nurses' mistrust in their Black counterparts, as well as just different standards to the nurses of different races. She is a good example of what Black Canadian women went through in attempts to receive the necessary education to become a nurse, although travelling was not the only option, it was one of the more widespread ones. Bernice's experience was quite unique, because she became the first Registered Black Canadian nurse, although the steps that led to her career were common among this group of people
