Making a Place for Ourselves: The Black Hospital Movement, 1920-1945 [Hardcover]

Vanessa Northington Gamble (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195078896 | ISBN-13: 978-0195078893 | Publication Date: March 23, 1995 | Edition: 1

Making a Place for Ourselves examines an important but not widely chronicled event at the intersection of African-American history and American medical history--the black hospital movement. A practical response to the racial realities of American life, the movement was a "self-help" endeavor--immediate improvement of separate medical institutions insured the advancement and health of African Americans until the slow process of integration could occur. Recognizing that their careers depended on access to hospitals, black physicians associated with the two leading black medical societies, the National Medical Association (NMA) and the National Hospital Association (NHA), initiated the movement in the 1920s in order to upgrade the medical and education programs at black hospitals. Vanessa Northington Gamble examines the activities of these physicians and those of black community organizations, local and federal governments, and major health care organizations. She focuses on three case studies (Cleveland, Chicago, and Tuskegee) to demonstrate how the black hospital movement reflected the goals, needs, and divisions within the African-American community--and the state of American race relations. Examining ideological tensions within the black community over the existence of black hospitals, Gamble shows that black hospitals were essential for the professional lives of black physicians before the emergence of the civil rights movement. More broadly, Making a Place for Ourselves clearly and powerfully documents how issues of race and racism have affected the development of the American hospital system.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Masterful....A major work on African-American health history [and] and an important work on the history of racial formation and racial politics in twentieth-century America."--Bulletin of the History of Medicine

"Effectively blending a general overview with studies of specific hospitals, Gamble conveys the strengths, weaknesses, and dilemmas of the black hospital movement. In the process she offers readers understanding of civil rights, the politics of race, medical education, and the divisions within the black community."--Choice

"...Gamble's focus on the role of race and racism in the specific context of the black hospital movement provides valuable insight into an aspect of American medical history not fully explored in the comprehensive work of her mentors."--The Alabama Review

"Gamble's work excels in outlining the interplay of forces within the African American community to secure access to a hospital that would serve their needs."--Wisconsin Magazine of History

"...Many readers of American History will enjoy this book..."--Illinois Historical Journal

About the Author

Vanessa Northington Gamble is at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (March 23, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195078896
• ISBN-13: 978-0195078893
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,580,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars making a place for ourselves, May 26, 2010

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This review is from: Making a Place for Ourselves: The Black Hospital Movement, 1920-1945 (Hardcover)

this is a very important book on this particular subject. I now have a like new copy which has a note from the author to an acquaintance. I am very happy to own this book that I purchased at an affordable price from KingsRidgeMedia. I started to read a library copy of this book, but I have not finished it as yet. it is an accessible piece of scholarship that is a good starting point for those who want to understand the dilemma african american health professionals faced during this particular time in history. I highly recommend it to both student and scholar.