Daniel Hale Williams

Barack Obama once said, "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." This quote portrays what Daniel Hale Williams did for African Americans. Daniel Hale Williams, born on January 18, 1856 in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, was an African American famous for opening an interracial hospital and being the first physician to successfully perform an operation on the human heart. With the support of his friends, colleagues, mentors, and wife, he was able to bring equality to African Americans. ("Daniel Hale Williams." Contemporary Black Biography.). His work for equality continued to progress even after his death on August 4, 1931 in Idlewild, Michigan. When he was a physician, people refused to accept him into society because of his skin color. Conquering this obstacle, he found different ways to save people's lives and expanded the knowledge of the medical field. He taught and inspired African Americans to take everyday roles in society no matter the number of people discouraging them. As an African American surgeon, Daniel Hale Williams was determined to fight discrimination and dedicated his life to provide African Americans education in the medical field.

Williams' fearless way of fighting discrimination, soon got him to a position where people listened to his ideas. He became an inspiration who fought for what he wanted even when he was outnumbered by opposers: "In 1889, he became a member of the Illinois State Board of Health. Disturbed that he was one of only three black physicians in Chicago and eager to try to overcome the effects of discrimination and prejudice, he proposed founding a new hospital and nursing school with race-blind policies" (Luft). Discriminating or differentiating someone based on their skin color, causes prejudicial opinions, or unreasonable thoughts. Many whites did not consider African Americans educated or capable of improvement because of their prejudice. Williams accepted and overcame their pessimism, proving to them that African Americans have the skills needed to work in the medical field. He continued his work to reach his goal of having a hospital that treated people equally, no matter their skin color. He became a leader when he stood up for what he believed in, even against all the whites who were against African Americans being able to take upon a powerful role: "In 1895, because the American Medical Association (AMA) would not yet admit people of color as members, Williams and five other African American physicians.founded a parallel organization, the National Medical Association (NMA), to represent their professional interests...Williams its first vice president. As of 2009, NMA membership comprised more than 30,000 African American physicians" (Luft). African Americans were treated harshly and unequally as a result of their skin color, shown through their rejection from the AMA. Williams and his fellow associates did not feel intimidated when they were not allowed into the AMA. Instead, they decided to start their own group that fought for African Americans to be accepted into everyday roles of society. They stood up for what they believed in, they resisted the disbelievers, and they expressed their feelings about discrimination. Williams' opposition against discrimination revealed the courage he had to defend African Americans and to help them gain acceptance.

Williams dedicated his life to help young, African American doctors receive more opportunities to be educated. Williams volunteered himself to be the one who educated them by performing sample operations: "In 1900 he began annual visits to Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tenn., serving without salary for over 25 years as visiting clinical professor of surgery. He spent five or ten days there without pay each year for over a decade. He began operating in a crowded basement room...Williams also operated and lectured at other schools and hospitals in the South" ("Daniel Hale Williams." Encyclopedia of World Biography.). To dedicate means to devote time, effort, or oneself, to a particular task or purpose. Williams continued to visit a college once a year for 25 years without getting any money in return. This shows that he is passionate about spreading wisdom and helping students improve on their skills as doctors. Even after he passed away, he continued to contribute to the programs that helped build educational programs for African Americans: "At his death, he left donations to many organizations he had supported...These gifts helped provide expanded medical education opportunities for black students" ("History: Dr. Daniel Hale Williams."). Williams did not stop improving the world when he opened an interracial hospital, or when he found a new way to operate on the heart, or even when he was dying. He gave money to organizations that helped give African American students more choices in what they can learn. This helped because then they had the skills to get a job that paid well and kept them alive. Ultimately, Williams used his time giving African Americans chances at studying and improving their knowledge of the medical field.

Daniel Hale Williams is a hero because he acquired the determination, dedication, and courage needed to reach his goal without asking for anything in return. Williams disliked the small number of African American physicians society had and decided to fight for the equality his people needed in order to be welcomed by whites. He fought and proved to everyone that African Americans can be as skilled as whites. Daniel Hale Williams inspires me because he was intelligent. He knew he was intelligent and successful since he was the first person ever to operate successfully on the heart and saved a person's life in the process. But, he did not let the fame destroy him. Instead, he used his operations as lessons to teach students about how to become a better surgeon. "Williams's lasting importance to the history of medicine was not primarily based on his skill and innovation as a first-rate operative surgeon, but rather on his demonstration to a skeptical world that African Americans could achieve and maintain the highest standards of medicine and surgery" (Luft). He proved to the world that African Americans are capable of anything that anyone of any race can do. Williams taught me that I can not be afraid to express my feelings about a topic. For example, in class, whenever we are having class discussions, I do not raise my hand in fear that I will answer incorrectly and everyone will judge me. Williams discussed his opinions with hundreds of people without worrying about how others thought of him. If he could do this, I can at least try to participate in class. Williams was the change in his generation who fought against discrimination. Now it is our turn. We need to believe in ourselves because we are all full of creative ideas. However, those ideas are not worth much if they remain in your head. Be confident in who you are and we can make a change in the world.