Louis Tompkins Wright: Physician, Advocate, Leader
Description
Objective: Students will understand Dr. Wright’s role in the creation of the National Medical Committee of the N.A.A.C.P. and its impact on the racial integration of healthcare.
Justification: Louis T. Wright represented one of the nation’s first major African American physician political actors, serving as an early president of the NAACP and working to integrate hospitals in Harlem as well as at a national level.
Questions:
•Describe Dr. Wright’s involvement in civil rights advocacy at various levels – from institutional to municipal to national.
•What were Wright’s beliefs about the NAACP’s approach to civil rights and how did he champion these in the healthcare field?
•How did Wright’s leadership impact federal civil rights policy and list the principles developed as a result?