Denied Service and Discriminated Against
In 1944, 23-year-old Elinor Powell, a U.S. Army Nurse Corps officer, was refused service at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Phoenix due to her skin color. Angered, she returned to her station at Camp Florence, Arizona, where she was tasked with caring for German POWs—men fighting for a regime of white supremacy.
An Unwanted Assignment
Elinor, like many black nurses, felt betrayed by her assignment to care for German POWs rather than wounded American soldiers. Black nurses faced segregation and discrimination in the Army Nurse Corps, and their role was limited despite their desire to serve their country.
An Unlikely Love Story
During her time at Camp Florence, Elinor met and fell in love with a German POW, Frederick Albert. Their forbidden romance defied the racial policies of both Jim Crow and Nazism, leading to a lifelong partnership in a world that largely rejected them.
Changing Times
Though black nurses faced prejudice, their determination helped lead to President Truman’s 1948 order to desegregate the military and the eventual dissolution of racial barriers within the nursing profession.
The Nurse, the POW, and a Defiance of Racism 👩⚕️
1/4: Denied Service and Discriminated Against
In 1944, 23-year-old Elinor Powell, a U.S. Army Nurse Corps officer, was refused service at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Phoenix due to her skin color. Angered, she returned to her… pic.twitter.com/CjhJ30Jsv6— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TBBOB2) September 17, 2024