BY SABRINA S. – 12 YEARS OLD
Anderson Ruffin Abbott was the first Canadian-born black doctor.
Abbott was born into a family in Toronto. He had access to an extensive education. An honours student, he studied medicine at the Toronto School of Medicine and did his medical matriculation at the University of Toronto.
In 1861, Abbott became the first Canadian-born black doctor. He was the first one to become a licensed physician. He worked as one of eight black surgeons during the American Civil War. In 1866, Abbott returned to Canada where he established a medical practice.
Back in 1871, he became a prominent figure in Toronto’s black community. And to this day his legacy lives on. Abbott fought against racial schools, while being president of the Wilberforce Educational Institute, a well-respected school for Chatham’s black students preparing for university.
Abbott was also a great writer, Abbott wrote about medicine, the Civil War, black history, Darwinism, biology, and poetry. His work was published in the Chatham Planet, Colored American Magazine of Boston and New York, the Anglo-American Magazine of London and New York Age.
Though he is not with us anymore, his legacy and enthusiasm for education and the black community still carries on. He made history and now we have to follow.
“Believing that within you is the ability to change the world is the first step in making a difference.”
