The American Red Cross and Black History Month

To honor Black History Month, we thought we would take trip down memory lane and remember the most influential African Americans within the American Red Cross community.

Frederick Douglass, abolitionist and Red Cross supporter

When Clara Barton first established a Red Cross Association in the U.S., she sat at a table with abolitionist Frederick Douglass after the end of the Civil War to discuss the monumental foundation. Douglass was in full support of Barton and continued to support the efforts of the American Red Cross long after its establishment in 1881.

Francis Elliot Davis, American Red Cross nurse

In 1915 Francis Elliott Davis, a professional nurse at Freedman’s Hospital in Washington D.C., applied to serve with the American Red Cross. Although she was turned down the first time, she continued to seek a position with the Red Cross. Finally, in 1917 Davis became the first black nurse approved by the organization. She served as a nurse with the Town and Country Nursing Service.

After World War I, black men and women began to participate even more with the American Red Cross  and small, segregated chapters even began to develop in the South alongside main chapters. U.S. involvement in World War II opened the doors for integration on a national level and the American Red Cross began to make changes in its personnel policies.

The American Red Cross meets with black representatives

In fact, in 1942 the American Red Cross met with black representatives of 13 organizations to discuss the growing role they could serve in the Red Cross. In 1945, Frederick Douglass Patterson became a member of the American Red Cross Central Committee.

Frederick Douglass Patterson (left) meets with American Red Cross Chairman Basil O'Connor (right) and Jesse Thomas (center), special assistant to the director of Domestic Operations of the American Red Cross

This is just a preview to the extensive black history in the American Red Cross. To read more about the historic milestones through time and the influential people involved in bringing about changes in the American Red Cross, visit the online American Red Cross Museum. 

- Amanda Keuler