Saga – Susie King Taylor

Welcome to this episode of Nursing EDge Unscripted  Saga where we journey through the history of   nursing education using stories that connect the  past to the present and then our future as we   reimagine our teaching and learning. August is the  birth month of Susie King Taylor, born August 6,   1848 near Savannah, Georgia. She was also known  as Susan Ann Baker born into slavery and spending   the better part of her life helping to elevate 

others out of slavery. During her childhood,   despite Georgia's strict laws against  formal education of African Americans,   Susie's grandmother sent Susie and her brother  to be educated through an underground education   system taught by free women of color. The  students would enter the homes of these free women   one at a time so as not to draw attention. It  was Susie's ability to read and write that became  

a major asset for her. Early on she used her  skill to both educate other African Americans   and keep them safe. As an example, she was known  to write security passes for those who might be   out after curfews to keep  them from being arrested.   At the age of 14 the chaos of the Civil War  provided an opportunity for Susie to flee the   south and become free when she followed her uncle 

to safety behind Union lines. She joined the 33rd   United States Colored Infantry Regiment and worked  in a number of capacities from laundress to cook.   During the Civil War she also was asked to help  in the capacity of a nurse. In her memoirs,   she shared how she attended to the  nursing care needs of her fellow comrades.  

She was known to have assisted in the  recovery of soldiers infected with smallpox   through both the care she provided and her  advocating for the smallpox vaccination.   She visited other army hospitals and often  joined in assisting in the care of the wounded   and sick soldiers. Beyond her work as a nurse  tending to the sick and wounded soldiers,   her ability to read and her thoughtful  instruction proved valuable to the soldiers.  

As the first African American woman to  serve as a nurse during the Civil War, she   also was the first African American woman to  publish a memoir of her wartime experiences:   Reminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33rd  United States Colored Troops. After the Civil   War ended in 1865, Susie and her husband,  Sergeant Edward King, returned to Savannah.   It was there that they opened a school for African 

American children and an adult night school. This   garnered her a prominent teaching role where she  would teach children by day and adults by night.   She was known to have opened many schools that  eventually would close as the importance of   education grew and she was not able to make a  living providing private education. Her husband   Edward King died in 1866 shortly after they had 

relocated to Savannah. She married again in 1870   after traveling to Boston as a domestic servant  when she could no longer find work as a teacher.   It was in that capacity that she met  her second husband, Russell L. Taylor.   In 1883 the Women's Relief Corps was assembled in  Portland, Maine. The purpose of the corps was to   assist in providing for the housing and care  needs of women nurses from the Civil War who  

were either destitute or ill. Susie, once again  driven by her gracious contributions to humanity,   organized Corps 67 as a chapter of the Women's  Relief Corps in 1886 to drive this service work.  Susie left a legacy that continues today in  her hometown of Savannah. The Susie King Taylor   Community School in Savannah is a tuition-free  public K-8 charter school. The student pledge   at the school has as its foundation the word  "free" - focused, responsible and respectful,  

empathic, and empowered. As we reflect  on nursing education, Susie King   Taylor's passion for teaching empowers us as nurse  educators in the work of service to our learners   and future professional nurses. The spirit  of inquiry guides nurse educators to impart   our knowledge with colleagues and learners as  we seek to develop future professional nurses   who are focused responsible,  respectful, empathic, and empowered. 

To commemorate her life struggle freedom and  her love for service to humanity, a historical   marker was constructed in 2019 by the Georgia  Historical Society and can be found in Savannah.