HannahMary Seacole was a British-Jamaican nurse and business woman. Here are some facts about her:
– She traveled all over the world, which was very uncommon for a black woman, at the time. She traveled from Jamaica (her home) to Panama, England, and Crimea (which is now Ukraine). She wrote about her travels and life as an entrepreneur in her book, Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands.
– Her mother owned a boarding house in Kingston, Jamaica. One time, there were British officers staying in the boarding house, having a conversation with the officers is what ultimately led her to travel the world. She started this adventure by opening a shop in Panama.
– After having a shop in Panama, she created what she called “The British Hotel”, on the front lines of the Crimean War. The “hotel” was actually living quarters, with a mess hall, where she would take care of the British soldiers.
– She retired in London, England.
– After her death, she was given multiple commemorations and awards, including a ward named after her at the Kingston General Hospital, the Order of Merit (Jamaica’s third highest honor), services are held at her gravesite in London on the anniversary of her death, a painting of her hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, and commemorative stamps were created in her honor and are used in the U.K. and Jamaica.
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