- Conference
- 2012 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 12 October 2011
- Decision
- Carried
Mary Seacole was born Mary Jane Grant in 1805 to a free black Jamaican woman. Her mother ran a boarding house for British soldiers and sailors in the capital city, Kingston. Her mother was known as a “doctoress” and passed on much of her knowledge of healing, using the arts of Creole medicine.
In 1836 Mary married Edwin Horatio Hamilton Seacole, godson of Lord Nelson. After only eight short years of marriage, Edwin died. On reaching the age of fifty, Mary was concerned about the welfare of soldiers she had known in Kingston, who were serving in the Crimean War. Mary travelled to recruitment offices in London, at her own expense, in an attempt to support the nursing efforts of Florence Nightingale who was at that time in Turkey. Mary was rejected by at least four of those offices due to racial discrimination.
Rather than return home full of bitterness about her rejection and treatment, Mary then made her own way to Turkey. There, she set up the British hotel, again at her own cost. She provided food and care for the soldiers who she referred to as “my sons”. The hospitals set up by the British under Florence Nightingale were three days sail away from the Crimea Battlefields. In comparison, Mary worked continually under the heat and danger of battle; she often went onto the actual battlefields and her courage and nursing skills were reported in the Times newspaper and Punch magazine. As a result the British as well knew her, as a Black Florence Nightingale.
When the Crimean War ended abruptly, it left Mary bankrupt. Her supporters in Britain, from all backgrounds ranging from ordinary soldiers to the Prince of Wales rallied to her aid with fundraising events in her honour.
After the war, Mary was awarded several medals for her bravery. She died at the age of seventy six and is buried in St Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green in London. But unlike Florence Nightingale, this amazing woman still does not have a permanent memorial to her bravery and perseverance in the face of discouragement and discrimination. Mary Seacole has been voted the greatest Black Briton and was awarded a personal pension from Queen Victoria.
Mary Seacole is an icon for UNISON women. She was a woman who did not give up in the face of discrimination or hardship. Her story needs to be kept alive to inspire future generations of UNISON women.
There is an enormous gender imbalance in the public statues erected to merit the achievements in society. Within the borough boundaries of Westminster there are one hundred and twenty four named public statues; of these on fourteen are women and four of those are Queen Victoria and another the late Queen Mother. There are two for Florence Nightingale and the only Black persons statue is that of Nelson Mandela. This needs to be addressed and the funds needed are achievable if it is publicised and acted upon.
Conference commends the championship of this issue carried out by UNISON and the National Nursing Committee whose sterling efforts to raise and keep this issue on the agenda have contributed to already raising one hundred thousand pounds towards a permanent Statue to be erected in the grounds of St Thomas’s hospital in London and the Friends of Mary Seacole and the Jamaican High Commissioner, who do so much to keep Mary Seacole’s memory in the public eye.
Conference calls on the National Women’s Committee to:
1)Work with Learning and Organising Services (LAOS), Regional Women’s Committees, Black women Member’s Committee and the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal to jointly produce and distribute literature and posters highlighting the achievements of Mary Seacole and the Memorial Campaign. This should also include information on web addresses.
2)Use Mary Seacole and other inspirational women to encourage a new generation of women who face adversity and/or discrimination as positive role models and publicise their achievements bi monthly in Focus magazine as a regular editorial.
3)Encourage networking via all regional Equality Officers a plan to highlight this campaign to all Self Organised Groups (SOGs) and Branches especially during Black History Month in October each year.
4)Report back to 2013 National Women’s Committee with the availability of the campaign materials and invite a guest speaker from the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal to address Conference.