THE STORY...
A THOUGHT PROVOKING STORY OF BLACK HOSPITALS IN AMERICA THROUGH THE LENS OF ONE INSTITUTION
Without knowledge of the past ...
Where is the path of the present leading us.
THE PROJECT: The Homer G Phillips Project was formed for the purpose of delivering a documentary that discusses the little known aspects of segregated health systems in the United States . It represents the unwavering commitment and dedication of Mukulla J. Godwin a registered nurse and the producer and co-director, to tell the story of the Homer G. Phillips Hospital for Colored in St. Louis, Missouri.
THE FILM: “A Jewel in History” is the shining result of that effort. This documentary, chronicles the development, contributions, and systematic closure of Black hospitals in the United States through the lens of one institution. It also provides insight as to the necessity for the birth of these facilities, their struggle for survival, and the lessons these institutions have for contemporary society. This documentary provides an important historical perspective on the state of health care for America ’s indigent and minority communities.
“... of all the inequities, healthcare is the most cruel.”
Martin Luther King Jr.
PROCESS: Through the use of archival footage, photographs, music and interviews with participants from various periods of the hospital’s history, this documentary comes to life as it explores the African American health care experience and the “separate but equal” paradigm which dominated this era. Included are informative interviews with leading medical historians, physicians, nurses and community activists. An integral part of this process was to recapture America ’s mindset which necessitated paralell health service for the “colored community.”
THE SIGNIFICANCE of this hospital, along with other medical facilities managed by African Americans and located in the Black Communities, has many implications for medical care in both the African American and white communities. In the case of the Homer G. Phillips Hospital , the natural progression towards integration tore at the heart of the African American community and undermined a vital source of economic and sustainable growth. In the course of the history of the United States there have been over 500 Black hospitals. They are proprietary, religious, charitable and community medical facilities. These hospitals have all but disappeared. At the height of their growth and development, they created a sense of ethnic pride, achievement and hope. Perhaps their greatest contribution was the provision of clinical care for black patients who were denied access to white hospitals, or were relegated to separate basement units of white institutions. Despite the need, these hospitals closed because they were not able to meet the challenges of modernization.
This fascinating film is the result of the conscious efforts of many dedicated individuals. We appreciate your interest and support. It is our hope that as a result of promoting this film that African Americans will be ever mindful of the need to create and sustain our own institutions for the betterment of our communities.
A Jewel In History Copyright 2000
