McMeen Elementary

Weekly Message from Nurse Miriam

03/01/23, 3:40 PM

Good Afternoon McMeen Families and Happy National Women's History Month!

  When I was thinking about this month I immediately thought about a fabulous woman and nurse (my favorite! 😏) right here in Colorado! Zipporah Parks Hammond was the first black person to earn a degree from the University of Colorado School of Nursing.  She will be inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame this month along with 16 other exemplary Coloradoan women. You can read more about Nurse Zipporah Parks Hammond below and read more about the 16 other women set of induction by clicking this link.

Zipporah Parks Hammond
Historical Inductee

A lifelong Coloradan, Zipporah Parks Hammond was the first Black person to earn a nursing degree from the University of Colorado School of Nursing, persevering despite segregation and overt racism. She was the only Black nursing student in the U.S. Nurse Corps in Colorado during World War II, the first minority director of medical records at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center (becoming the first Black person to hold that position in Colorado), a philanthropist, historian of Black history in Denver, and volunteer. Gracefully breaking down barriers and elevating the status of women, she refused to be held back and kept reinventing herself – even after contracting tuberculosis, which ended her nursing career.

*** Additional Note: Regardless of age/grade, please consider packing at least one change of clothing in your student's backpack. Even though I get some really wonderful clothing donations, I tend to run out of clothing for students when they need a change of clothing. Thank you!

Nurse Miriam