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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hey NFB Family and Friends,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I hope everyone is enjoying the stories of notable African American’s throughout this, Black History Month. The President of the Black Empowerment Committee is Andre Hill. If you have a moment, please contact him or send your gold stars and smiley faces to me and I’ll pass them on to the Committee. They have been doing a great job and we should let them know how much we appreciate each of them.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Here’s day 24…<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Rebecca Lee Crumpler challenged the prejudice that prevented African Americans from pursuing careers in medicine to became the first African American woman in the United States to earn an M.D. degree, a distinction formerly credited to Rebecca Cole. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Although little has survived to tell the story of Crumpler's life, she has secured her place in the historical record with her book of medical advice for women and children, published in 1883.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Crumpler was born in 1831 in Delaware, to Absolum Davis and Matilda Webber. An aunt in Pennsylvania, who spent much of her time caring for sick neighbors and may have influenced her career choice, raised her. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>By 1852 she had moved to Charlestown, Massachusetts, where she worked as a nurse for the next eight years (because the first formal school for nursing only opened in 1873, she was able to perform such work without any formal training). <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In 1860, she was admitted to the New England Female Medical College. When she graduated in 1864, Crumpler was the first African American woman in the United States to earn an M.D. degree, and the only African American woman to graduate from the New England Female Medical College, which closed in 1873. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>She published a book entitled, "Book of Medical Discourses" in 1883. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>She died March 9th, 1895. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Her legacy includes but are not limited to: The Rebecca Lee Society, one of the first medical societies for African-American women. Her home on Joy Stret is currently a stop on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail. In 2019, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam declared March 30 (National Doctors Day) the Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler Day. Syracuse University has a pre-health club named "The Rebecca Lee Pre-Health Society", which encourages people of diverse backgrounds to pursue health professions. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Submitted by: Corlis Jones<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'><br>Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:#222222'>Jacki Bruce<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:#222222'>Corresponding Secretary, National Federation of the Blind of Virginia<br><a href="mailto:jackibruce6@gmail.com" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>mailto:jackibruce6@gmail.com</span></a></span><span style='color:black'><br></span><span style='color:#222222'><a href="tel:(757)291-1789" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>tel:(757)291-1789</span></a></span><span style='color:black'><br></span><span style='color:#222222'><a href="http://www.nfb.org/" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>www.nfb.org</span></a></span><span style='color:black'><br></span><span style='color:#222222'><a href="http://www.nfbv.org/" target="_blank"><span style='color:blue'>www.nfbv.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:#222222'>Follow us on Twitter @NFBVirginia<br>Find us on Facebook @NationalFederationoftheBlindofVirginia<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><span style='color:#222222'>Live the life you want.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#222222'>The National Federation of the Blind is a community of members and friends who believe in the hopes and dreams of the nation’s blind. Every day we work together to help blind people live the lives they want<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>