Black History Month Event Will Spotlight Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis
Author Maria Smilios will read from and discuss her award-winning book “The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis” on February 18 as part of the Rutgers School of Nursing–Camden’s Black History Month celebration. The reading will be held in Room 101 of the Nursing & Science Building at 4 p.m.
“The Black Angels” tells the story of a group of young Black nurses who traveled from the American South to Sea View Hospital in New York City during the Great Depression to care for individuals with tuberculosis after the white nursing workforce quit en masse.
“It was a disease that stigmatized and ostracized people—if you had tuberculosis in your community, nobody wanted to be around you because they feared getting sick,” Smilios said.
At the turn of the 20th century, tuberculosis was a significant public health concern and a leading cause of death worldwide. While science had identified the specific bacteria that caused the disease, there were neither effective medications nor a viable vaccine to treat the highly contagious disease. The primary treatment was isolation and provision of supportive care in specialized hospitals.
Despite being faced with appalling conditions and entrenched racism, the group of women that became known as “The Black Angels” spent more than 20 years caring for the desperately ill until a cure for tuberculosis was discovered, partly because of their comprehensive record-keeping and long-term dedication to the patients at Sea View.
“These nurses worked at Sea View for decades and knew the disease intimately,” Smilios said. “All of that data came from them.” The doctors who eventually went on to find a cure for tuberculosis credited these women with being an integral part of their success.
“This story reminds us of the power we hold to effect change, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges,” said Robin Cogan, clinical coordinator in the School of Nursing.
“The Black Angels won a 2024 Christopher Award, was shortlisted for the 2024 English PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize and was named a Booklist Editor’s Choice. All students currently enrolled in the School of Nursing are reading the book this semester as part of their curriculum.
This event is free and open to the public.
