‘Mary Seacole, and her legacy, can inspire us all to excel, despite challenges’

Mary Seacole was a contemporary of Florence Nightingale and also looked after sick and injured soldiers in the Crimean War. In fact, she tried to enlist as one of Florence Nightingale’s nurses but was turned down numerous times – so, eventually, she decided to go on her own. I could not believe that, centuries later, Mary Seacole had been forgotten, while Florence Nightingale, and her own legacy, continued to live on.

“Mary Seacole was not only a nurse, but also an innovator and entrepreneur”

I said at the time, if Mary can be excavated from obscurity and put in a place of prominence, there is hope for Black nurses and those with minority ethnicity backgrounds to arise, ascend and advance to the next level in their careers. I was an ambassador for the Mary Seacole Statue Memorial Appeal as a fundraiser. It took more than 12 and a half years, and the work of many fellow ambassadors, supported by Lord Clive Soley and Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, before the statue was finally installed in the grounds of St Thomas’ Hospital in London in 2016.

In 2024, 20 years after hearing about Mary Seacole for the first time, I was invited to be an ambassador for the Mary Seacole Trust, the successor to the Mary Seacole Statue Memorial Appeal. To hold this position is undoubtedly a great honour. The trust’s objectives include maintaining the statue and upholding the legacy of Mary Seacole by educating and informing the general public – and, especially, the next generation – about her life, work and achievements. This nurse, who overcame racism and injustice so she could care for soldiers during the Crimean War, was not only a nurse; she was also an innovator and an entrepreneur.

Mary Seacole was half Scottish and half Jamaican so will be seen as a role model and inspiration to nurses from the diaspora. The aim of the Mary Seacole Trust is to build on Mary’s legacy to promote fairness and equality, including diverse leadership in private and public services. It has always been my passion and goal to inspire and motivate nurses to believe they too can be empowered to excel amid the challenges they face in the workplace.

The trust does some great work engaging with young people to ensure Mary’s legacy remains relevant for future generations. It has an active Youth Advisory Committee as well as Young Seacole Ambassadors, who are involved in various activites such as writing poetry about being a modern-day Mary Seacole. It does this by working in partnership with various schools.

In 2023, a UK £5 coin was dedicated to Mary Seacole, which also helps to keep her legacy alive.

As an ambassador, I look forward to delivering talks and presentations throughout the year in schools, as well as in the NHS and other places, to help maintain the memory of Mary Seacole and inspire others to let nothing, or no one, hold them back from progressing in their education and career.

I will also be involved in fundraising to maintain the statue I helped bring to fruition. The statue is a life-long memorial to make sure that Mary Seacole is never again forgotten by any of us.

Joan Myers is ambassador, Mary Seacole Trust, and strategic independent nurse consultant