Alice Taylor

Almost a century before Rosa Parks defied Alabama’s racial segregation laws, Trinity graduate Dr. Alexander Thomas Augusta refused to give up his seat in the “whites only” section of a Washington DC streetcar.

Dressed in his U.S. Army officer’s uniform, Augusta was physically ejected from the streetcar. He railed against this injustice in letters to newspapers and government officials. In 1865, a year after the incident, Congress decreed that all streetcars in the nation’s capital were to be desegregated.

This was neither the first nor last time Augusta would challenge the discriminatory practices of his native country. Denied entrance to American medical schools on the basis of colour, he was granted admission to Trinity Medical College in the early1850s, becoming the first black medical student in Canada West.

Augusta excelled at Trinity, so much so that U of T president John McCaul publicly acknowledged his superior intellect. Augusta took particular interest in anatomy, taught by Dr. Norman Bethune (namesake and grandfather of the more famous Dr. Bethune ). Augusta would later go on to teach anatomy for almost a decade at Howard University in Washington, as the first black professor of medicine in the United States.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine degree in 1860, Augusta worked for several years as a physician in Toronto, where he became a leader in the black community. He offered medical care to the poor, founded a literacy society that donated books and school supplies to black children and was active in antislavery circles on both sides of the border.

(Jan 7, 1863 letter from Dr. Augusta to President Lincoln/ photo courtesy National Archives and Records Administration)

Despite his success in Canada, with war raging south of the border, Augusta felt duty bound to use his medical training in support of “my race.” On Jan. 7, 1863, less than a week after the Emancipation Proclamation authorized black men to serve, Augusta wrote to President Lincoln requesting to be appointed as a physician to the newly created “colored regiments” in the Union Army.

(In an odd twist of fate, two years later, Augusta would lead a procession of 75,000 “colored troops” through the streets of Baltimore as President Lincoln’s body passed though the city.)

In April, 1863 Augusta became the first African-American commissioned as a medical officer in the U.S. Army (at the rank of major) and one of only 13 to serve as surgeons during the war. Within two years, Augusta was promoted to lieutenant colonel and became the highest-ranking black officer in the U.S. military.

Augusta mustered out of service in 1866, and for the next quarter century he remained active in the Washington DC medical community, variously working in local hospitals, private practice and as a university professor.

(Howard University Medical College faculty, 1869-1870 with Augusta seated at far left/ photo courtesy National Library of Medicine)

Despite his many accomplishments, however, Augusta and other black doctors were refused admission to the local society of physicians. Unsurprisingly, Augusta fought back – all the way to Congress – but never gained entry into the DC medical society. On January 15, 1870, Augusta co-founded the National Medical Society of the District of Columbia, which accepted black and white members.

Augusta also continued his crusade to desegregate DC’s regional transit system. When brutally attacked by white passengers – who objected to a black man in an officer’s uniform – on a Baltimore train, Augusta again took his story to the press. In a letter published in multiple newspapers, he asserted his right as a Union officer “to wear the insignia of my office, and if I am either afraid or ashamed to wear them, anywhere, I am not fit to hold my commission.”

Several years later, Augusta testified before a Congressional Committee on behalf of his patient Kate Brown, who was seriously injured when she was forcibly ejected from the “white people’s car” on a train bound for Washington.

The case went all the way to the Supreme Court; the 1873 Railroad Company v. Brown decision ruled that white and black passengers must be treated with equality in the use of the railroad’s cars.

Dr. Alexander T. Augusta died at home four days before Christmas, 1890. Even in death Augusta broke the colour barrier. Interred with full military honours, he became the first black officer buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

(At left: Dr. Augusta’s tombstone at Arlington National Cemetery/ photo courtesy Arlington Cemetery)

(This article originally appeared in U of T Magazine; for more articles visit: http://www.magazine.utoronto.ca/)

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U of T Medicine launches unprecedented $500 million campaign

sgupta — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 09:20:28 +0000

U of T Medicine launches unprecedented $500 million campaign sgupta Fri, 09/14/2012 - 05:20

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2012 Gustavo Toledo Photography)

Alice Taylor

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Alice Taylor

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Medicine

Boundless

More than 300 students, benefactors, volunteers, faculty, staff and members of the medical community gathered at the Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research on Thursday evening to celebrate the launch of the $500-million campaign for U of T’s Faculty of Medicine, a cornerstone of the University’s overall $2-billion Boundless campaign. Through its campaign, the Faculty of Medicine aims to transform health care by training future health care leaders and putting scientific discovery into action.

Dean Catharine Whiteside announced that the campaign – the largest-ever fundraising initiative for a medical school in Canadian history – has already secured $252 million, more than half of its campaign goal.

In her address, Dean Whiteside spoke about the central role that charitable giving and philanthropic efforts play in advancing the Faculty’s research and education objectives and acknowledged the generous support of individuals like Michael Dan (Chair of the Campaign Cabinet), Terrence Donnelly, Carlo Fidani, Paul Dalla Lana, Mark and Stuart Tanz, and the Eaton family, who have made transformative gifts to the Faculty of Medicine.

“The complexity of the health challenges we face today requires solutions that can only emerge through innovation that is collaborative and cross-disciplinary,” said Whiteside. “The Faculty of Medicine’s integrating role uniquely positions us to spark the discoveries and drive the changes that will transform health globally in the 21st century, with the help of our supporters.”

The Faculty of Medicine’s academic network is vast. In partnership with nine fully affiliated health institutions and 18 community affiliates, the Faculty’s 6,800 academic and clinical faculty members educate more than 8,600 trainees annually, including MD students, graduate and doctoral students, health sciences professionals, residents and fellows. To ensure these trainees have continued access to world-class opportunities, the Faculty will seek to raise $100 million for student programming and financial aid.

“Students in the Faculty of Medicine will become the next generation of health professionals and leaders. They inspire me to be confident in the future of health care in Canada and around the world,” said Dr. Terrence Donnelly, a generous supporter of the faculty and chair of recruitment for the campaign.

Recent MD graduates Jeffrey Alfonsi and Joshua Levitz spoke of the significant role donor’s play in students’ lives.

“Your generosity and work on behalf of the Faculty does not go unnoticed by students,” Alfonsi stated, “I can personally attest how important donor support is to the success of U of T Medicine students.”

Research in the Faculty of Medicine boasts a critical mass of expertise in four areas, reflected in the campaign’s strategic priorities; human development, global health, neuroscience and brain health, and complex diseases. To provide the Faculty’s scientists with leading-edge research technology, the campaign will seek to raise $200 million for research programs and infrastructure.

Recruiting and retaining world-leading faculty is also a top priority for the campaign, which aims to raise $200 million to support faculty.

“Our campaign will enable us to continue to attract and retain the best academic talent in the world,” said Whiteside.

The campaign for U of T Medicine is an integral part of U of T’s $2-billion Boundless campaign, which has secured more than $1.1 billion to date. Through the Boundless campaign, U of T seeks to address the pressing global challenges that affect us all by preparing global leaders who have the skills to work across borders, boundaries and disciplines. (See the video here.)

President David Naylor concluded the evening by calling on “our friends and supporters to rally behind two great causes – preparing the next generation of health professionals and researchers, and advancing the legacy of cutting-edge research by our faculty members and students. Together we can help make possible a longer, better life for individuals and communities, in Canada and around the world.”

See a photo gallery from the event here.

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