Badass Women in Medicine: Rebecca Cole

By Alison Cooper

Picture a doctor from the 19th century. More likely than not he is a man, from a white wealthy family. Rebecca Cole did not fit this image. Despite the obstacles of racism and sexism that attempted to shut her out of practicing medicine, Rebecca Cole would not be deterred. Not only did she become one of the first female African American doctors, but she was also a rebellious agitator who challenged racism, sexism, and classism wherever she saw it.

Drawing of Rebecca Cole, cropped from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper; 16 April 1870; page 72

SHATTERING THE GLASS CEILING

Institute for Colored Youth Building Historical Marker 915 Bainbridge St

Rebecca Cole began her studies in Philadelphia at the prestigious Institute for Colored Youth where she graduated in 1863. The Institute for Colored Youth, now known as Cheyney College, is the oldest college in the United States serving a predominantly black population. The private school provided a better opportunity for black children to access education in an environment where they could thrive, rather than substandard education at “colored schools” provided by the city. The roster of alumnae from the school included the most brilliant and influential African American people of their time, from Rebecca Cole to educator Lucy Addison to activist Octavius Catto.

Shortly after graduating from the Institute for Colored Youth, Rebecca Cole studied at the New England Female Medical College. Rebecca then went on to receive her M.D. in general medicine from the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and she became a licensed doctor in 1867. Both the New England Female Medical College and the Woman’s Medical College were unique because they afforded women access education in a field designed to exclude them.

At the time, aspiring women physicians were banned from studying medicine alongside men. These schools provided the opportunity for Rebecca Cole and hundreds of other women from all over the world to study and practice medicine. Plus, the school was run by another inspiring woman, Ann Preston, the first woman dean of a medical college. She broke through the glass ceiling for women and promoted the education of women of color in return.

CALLING OUT W.E.B. DUBOIS

After graduating from medical school, Rebecca Cole began working for the first woman doctor Elizabeth Blackwell at the Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children in New York City. The infirmary served as a fully functioning hospital for poor women and children. During her time at there, Rebecca Cole was tasked with visiting the slums of New York. She served as a “sanitary visitor,” making house calls to teach women basic hygiene and care for themselves and their children. This work gave her a first-hand experience of the problems black communities faced; she saw the destitution and injustice inflicted on the people and understood the sources of their peril.

In fact, she later challenged prominent black academic and activist W.E.B Dubois on this very issue. His book The Philadelphian Negro, published in 1899, explored the difficulties African Americans faced in America. Dubois concluded that African Americans were dying due to their ignorance of hygiene and healthcare.

Because of her direct experience working with poor black families, Rebecca Cole knew that his conclusion was wrong. She argued that African American individuals were not the cause of their own deaths. Rather, the mortality rate was because white doctors did not address the whole medical history of their black patients.

Rebecca Cole went even farther when she called out W.E.B. Dubois’ data collection. She accused him of gathering his information from slumlords who had a lot to lose if they were found to blame for the illness and deaths of their tenants.

While Dubois’ work has been canonized, Rebecca Cole’s arguments were overlooked. To this day, black women receive disproportionate levels of care from their doctors. According to the CDC, black women are more likely to die giving childbirth and their pain is frequently dismissed or ignored.

PIONEER OF INSECTIONAL FEMINISM

In 1873, Mary Rose Smith and Elizabeth Duane Gillespie prepared for the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The two women served as members of The Women’s Centennial Executive Committee, a separate exhibition from the Centennial Commission as dictated by male officials. Though subjected to the sexism of forcing separate celebrations, this didn’t inhibit the two white, wealthy women from their own prejudices.

Smith and Gillespie invited Rebecca Cole and her fellow alum of the Institute of Colored Youth, Caroline LeCount, to work for the newly devised and separate group, the Colored Women’s Centennial Committee. This subcommittee would be under the direction of white women, who recommended they seek donations from African Americans families, but were forbidden to solicit white families. You can imagine how this went over with Rebecca Cole.

Both Rebecca Cole and Caroline LeCount refused to serve on the Colored Women’s Centennial Committee. Rebecca Cole questioned why she must be separated from the Women’s Centennial Committee based solely on her race. If Smith and Gillespie suffered such “separate but equal” rhetoric from the men officiating the exhibition, then why couldn’t they understand that they participated in this exact same practice? The decision for a separate, “colored” committee led Cole and LeCount to start a protest against Smith and the entire Women’s Centennial Committee. Eventually, Smith offered an apology to Cole and LeCount, and Rebecca Cole went on to serve on the Women’s Centennial Committee.

Despite her efforts to combat racism within the Women’s Centennial Committee, the Centennial Exhibition included racist exhibits and lacked inclusion of African Americans in roles outside of service positions.

WHERE ARE THE WOMEN STATUES?

Of the 10 statues of women in Philadelphia, 3 (depicted here) are less than 1 foot tall. Mary Cassat atop PAFA, Dr. Rebecca Cole with a stethoscope to the American flag, and Betsy Ross sewing.

Rebecca Cole is one of ten women (who aren’t Greek goddesses or biblical characters) memorialized as statues in Philadelphia. If you’re looking for her statue, you’ll need guidance. And maybe binoculars. Head to the corner of 15th and Arch St. Stand so that Love Park is behind you and you’re facing the City of Philadelphia’ Department of Human Services Building. Then look up about 30 feet in the air. There, on a cluttered and confusing sculpture, is Rebecca Cole. If you’re still having trouble finding her, she’s to the left of the Betsy Ross Flag (and for some bizarre reason, she’s listening to its pulse). Clocking in at about one foot tall, this is the only statue of a black woman in all of Philadelphia.

Impressed? We didn’t think so! If this city can have 10 statues of Ben Franklin, we think Rebecca Cole and the numerous other inspiring women of our rich history deserve better representation. And they must be taller than one foot.

You can learn more about Rebecca Cole’s impact in Philadelphia on Beyond the Bell Tour’s Women’s History Tour. Availability, booking, and further information can be found on our website. You can also check us out on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.