In 1951, Brown was rejected from nurse’s training at Sherman because she was Black. She went on to be the first Black nursing student at Amita Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Joliet, where she later worked.
“Betty Brown’s story is one of perseverance in the face of prejudice,” Sheri De Shazo, president of Advocate Sherman, said at the event. “As a nurse and a woman of color, I’m thrilled to be able to recognize Mrs. Brown’s many contributions to Elgin and Chicagoland. Amplifying Mrs. Brown’s story is an incremental step forward to ensure opportunity for all who are called to help people live well. While we cannot undo the injustice, she and many other women of color experienced in the past, we can publicly admit those mistakes, acknowledge the harm done and commit to building an inclusive and safe enterprise free of inequities.”