This month the library is celebrating Black History Month by displaying books in our collection that highlight the history and accomplishments of African-Americans. The display features biographies, memoirs, non-fiction narratives, graphic novels, and more.

Stop by this month to check out the display!

A lecture and discussion on Roanoke’s Black medical history will take place at the Gainsboro Branch Library on Thursday, February 22, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in honor of Black History Month. The presentation is sponsored by Roanoke Public Libraries, Virginia Tech Roanoke Center, and the Roanoke Higher Education Center. The event is free, open to the public, and will include talks by local historian Jordan Bell and local physician Dr. Conrad Claytor.

At a time when health care was segregated, many doctors, nurses, and dentists spent their lives treating patients of Roanoke’s African American community. Roanoke became home to Burrell Memorial Hospital in 1915, as well as the Burrell Training School for Nurses in 1921, which at the time was the only nursing school in Virginia to train Black nurses. Roanoke also became home to the Magic City Medical Society, the Claytor Memorial Clinic, and the Burrell Pharmacy. In 1941 the Hunton Life Saving Crew formed, becoming the first African American rescue squad in the country.

Want to learn more? Join us for this presentation, and then check out these additional resources to learn more about African American medical history in Roanoke.

• The Gainsboro History Project - an in-depth and interactive tour of Roanoke's historic Gainsboro neighborhood.
• African American and Cherokee Nurses in Appalachia: A History, 1900-1965 by Phoebe Ann Pollitt - includes a section dedicated to the nursing education programs offered at Burrell Memorial Hospital in Gainsboro.
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot - Born in Roanoke in 1920, Henrietta Lacks was an African-American woman whose cells -- taken without her knowledge -- became the first immortalized human cell line.