- Hospitals were not immune to segregation; that created a separate but not equal level of service for black patients.
- They hope to find a buyer willing to preserve the integrity of the once 50-bed hospital created by the first black surgeon in the city.
- Watch the story to learn the significance of the historically black building.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Black history goes beyond the month of February.
How those connected to the first black owned hospital in Bainbridge hope to preserve a kindred piece of black history.
"It was the largest private black owned hospital in Georgia,” said Thomas J. Perry.
Perry is the grandson of Joseph H. Griffin the founder of the first black hospital in Bainbridge.
"At that time all facilities in this area were segregated,” said Perry.
Hospitals were not immune to segregation.
That created a separate but not equal level of service for black patients.
"White doctors saw black patients… but it was separate waiting rooms.. Less than equal facilities. Bottom of the barrel treatment,” according to Perry.
I had an off camera conversation with the current owners of the historic building, Florence and Julian Braswell.
The couple let me know that after almost 40 years in the printing business they're ready to retire with plans of selling the historically black building.
They hope to find a buyer willing to preserve the integrity of the once 50 bed hospital created by the first black surgeon in the city.
Perry echoes that idea.
"Reinvented in some fashion that would be of service to the community again,” said Perry.
I talked to a few black business owners in the city who all tell me more efforts need to be taken to revitalize and expand black businesses in our community.
