Group Raising Money For 1st Black Doctor Trained In US's Gravestone

BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A Boston neighborhood group is trying to ensure that the nation's first African-American doctor, buried in Hyde Park, is not forgotten.

Dr. Rebecca Crumpler is buried in Fairview Cemetery with her husband, but their graves bear no marker or headstone. The Friends of Hyde Park Branch Library are raising money to buy a new grave marker for the couple.

"Dr. Crumpler was the first black female medical doctor trained in the United States," Vicki Gall, the head of the group, told WBZ NewsRadio's Kim Tunnicliffe. "I think she deserves something."

She graduated in 1864 from New England Female Medical College, which later became the Boston University School of Medicine. After that, she had a distinguished career in the Boston area, and went south for a while.

"After the Civil War, she went down to the Virginia area, working with recently-freed slaves and their families," Gall said.

The group is hoping to raise $5,000 for a simple granite stone bearing Crumpler's name, as well as some information about her.

To donate, you can go to friendshplibrary.org.

WBZ NewsRadio's Kim Tunnicliffe (@KimWBZ) reports

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