Alma Vessells John (September 27, 1906 – April 8, 1986) was an American nurse, newsletter writer, radio and television personality, and civil rights activist. Born in Philadelphia in 1906, she moved to New York to take nursing classes after graduating from high school. She completed her nursing training at
Harlem Hospital School of Nursing
Harlem Hospital School of Nursing was a training school for African-American women, which was established at Harlem Hospital in Harlem, New York City in 1923. It was founded due to the lack of nursing schools in New York that accepted African Amer ...
in 1929 and worked for two years as a nurse before being promoted to the director of the educational and recreational programs at
Harlem Hospital
Harlem Hospital Center, branded as NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, is a 272-bed, public teaching hospital affiliated with Columbia University. It is located at 506 Lenox Avenue in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City and was founded in 1887.
The hosp ...
. After being fired for trying to unionize nurses in 1938, she became the director of the
Upper Manhattan YWCA School for Practical Nurses, the first
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
to serve as director of a school of nursing in the state of New York. (
Adah Belle Thoms
Adah Belle Samuels Thoms (January 12, 1870 – February 21, 1943) was an African American nurse who cofounded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (serving as President from 1916-1923), was acting director of the Lincoln School f ...
had served as acting director of
Lincoln School for Nurses
The Lincoln School for Nurses, also known as Lincoln Hospital and Nursing Home School for Nurses, and Lincoln Hospital School of Nursing, was the first nursing school for African-American women in New York City. It existed from 1898 to 1961. I ...
between 1906-1923).
In 1944, John became a lecturer and consultant with the National Nursing Council for War Service, serving until the war ended, and was the last director of the
National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses The National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses was a professional organization for African American nurses founded in 1908.
Foundation
In 1906, Connecticut nurse Martha Minerva Franklin surveyed African American nurses to see what challenges ...
from 1946 until it dissolved in 1951. Her position at both organizations was to expand nursing opportunities for black women and integrate black nurses throughout the nation into the health care system.
In 1949, John wrote a script ''Brown Women in White'' for production on
WNBC
WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo station WN ...
, which led to a second career in radio and television. In 1952, she presented ''The Homemaker's Club'' on station
WWRL
WWRL (1600 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York City. WWRL airs an all-news radio format as an affiliate of the Black Information Network (BIN). The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.
By day, WWRL broadcasts at 25,000 wat ...
in New York. The following year, she became the first black radio personality to be invited as a member of the New York chapter of the
Association of Women in Radio and Television. She campaigned successfully for the organization meetings to be held in
unsegregated facilities. In 1957, she received the ''
McCall's
''McCall's'' was a monthly American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-for ...
'' Golden Mike Award for her show ''What's Right with Teenagers'' and in 1959 she became the director of women's programming at WWRL. Over her 25-year career at the radio station, she wrote and produced numerous programs giving household tips, health care advice, and providing community service information. In 1970, John began appearing on television shows at
WPIX-TV
WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, it is operated under a local marketing agreement (LMA) by Nexstar Media Group, making it a ''de facto'' owned-and-operated station and flagship of The CW ...
. She interviewed prominent black figures on her shows ''Black Pride'' and ''Positively Black''. John worked up to her death in 1986 and is remembered mainly for her pioneering role in radio.
Early life and education
Alma Vessells was born on September 27, 1906, in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, to Hattie (née Taylor) and Joseph Vessells. She came from a family of nine siblings, which struggled with poverty. Her mother died when she was twelve and Vessells, as the oldest child, helped raise her younger siblings. Her father was a carpenter and Vessells worked as a
domestic
Domestic may refer to:
In the home
* Anything relating to the human home or family
** A domestic animal, one that has undergone domestication
** A domestic appliance, or home appliance
** A domestic partnership
** Domestic science, sometimes cal ...
and vegetable peeler to earn money. The family read ''
Negro World
''Negro World'' was the newspaper of the Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA). Founded by Garvey and Amy Ashwood Garvey, the newspaper was published weekly in Harlem, New York, and distr ...
'', published by
Marcus Garvey
Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...
, which strongly impacted her work ethic and ethnic pride. After graduating from high school, she moved to New York City, to study nursing. She enrolled at the
Harlem Hospital School of Nursing
Harlem Hospital School of Nursing was a training school for African-American women, which was established at Harlem Hospital in Harlem, New York City in 1923. It was founded due to the lack of nursing schools in New York that accepted African Amer ...
in 1926 and graduated in 1929.
Career
Nursing (1929–1951)
After earning her license to practice, Vessells worked as a nurse at
Harlem Hospital
Harlem Hospital Center, branded as NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, is a 272-bed, public teaching hospital affiliated with Columbia University. It is located at 506 Lenox Avenue in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City and was founded in 1887.
The hosp ...
. In 1930, she was hired as the director of the educational and recreational programs for them. While working there, she met Cornwall Lisley John, whom she would marry on October 1, 1937. Lisley was a barber from
Saint Vincent in the
British West Indies
The British West Indies (BWI) were colonized British territories in the West Indies: Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Grena ...
, who worked in New York. In October 1938, John tried to
unionize
A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...
the nurses to demand higher pay and better working conditions and was fired by the hospital.
Though a petition to get her job back was presented to the Civil Service convention held in New York that year, John accepted a new post in 1938 as the director of
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...
's
Upper Manhattan YWCA School for Practical Nurses. In taking the position, John became the first African-American woman to direct a school of practical nurses in
New York State
New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
. John remained with the
YWCA
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries.
The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
until 1944, when she left to work as a lecturer and consultant with the National Nursing Council for War Service. Working as an assistant to
Estelle Massey Riddle, she helped to eliminate the nursing shortage by increasing the number of black nurses. Their goal was to establish training programs for black students and to provide instruction to nursing school administrators, directors, and public officials on how to increase enrollment. Riddle and John pointed out that
segregated schools in the United States Segregation may refer to:
Separation of people
* Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space
* School segregation
* Housing segregation
* Racial segregation, separation of humans ...
meant that many black students needed improvements to their basic education in order to complete nursing training, and encouraged schools to develop curricula that would provide for a well-rounded education.
![Alma Vessels John, 1949](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Alma_Vessels_John%2C_1949.jpg)
During this time, John returned to school, joined
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen stud ...
, and completed her
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
in 1946 at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
in education and public health nursing. At the end of the year, she was the first nurse elected to membership on the National Committee on Children and Youth, a group organized to advise legislators about issues effecting young people. Soon after her graduation, she became the executive secretary of the
National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses The National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses was a professional organization for African American nurses founded in 1908.
Foundation
In 1906, Connecticut nurse Martha Minerva Franklin surveyed African American nurses to see what challenges ...
. Her role as director was to remove barriers and racial policies which prohibited the advancement of black nurses. A second major part of her position was to assist with the transition of merging the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses into the
American Nurses Association
The American Nurses Association (ANA) is a 501(c)(6) professional organization to advance and protect the profession of nursing. It started in 1896 as the Nurses Associated Alumnae and was renamed the American Nurses Association in 1911. It is ba ...
. She traveled around the
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...
trying to smooth over concerns of white nurses about the merger, while trying to reassure black nurses that the merger could improve their professional status and open opportunities.
To reach broader audiences and expand nursing opportunities, John began broadcasting programs on the radio. In 1949, she wrote a script ''Brown Women in White'' for production on
WNBC
WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo station WN ...
, which led to a consultation with
Margaret Cuthbert
Margaret Cuthbert (12 May 1887 – 25 July 1968) was a Canadian-born pioneer radio woman in the United States. After earning a degree in fine art from Cornell University, she worked briefly at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., and at Corne ...
, an
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
programming executive, for other radio work. The show covered 40 years of the struggle for black women to work as nurses and was aired nationwide on 69 stations. She continued to work as a consultant for the National Nursing Council for War Service until the war ended, and served as the last director of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses until it dissolved in 1951.
In 1950, John was appointed as a delegate to the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. ...
's National Mobilization for Civil Rights. She was among the delegates chosen to speak directly with President
Harry Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
about pressing needs of the black community and the need for civil rights legislation. The delegates stressed that the primary focus should be on the unrestricted right to vote by elimination of
poll taxes
A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources.
Head taxes were important sources of revenue for many governments fr ...
and a federal
anti-lynching law, but the administration chose to focus on fair employment practices legislation. At the end of her tenure with the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, John reported that prior to World War II, only 14 nursing schools throughout the country admitted black students. By 1950, nationally, 304 nursing schools allowed African-American students. She also noted that only five states still prohibited black nurses from joining associations, though there were still gaps in opportunity and pay nationwide.
Radio and television (1952–1978)
![Alma Vessels John, 1950s -2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/Alma_Vessels_John%2C_1950s_-2.jpg)
In 1952, John began writing and presenting ''The Homemaker's Club'' on the New York station
WWRL
WWRL (1600 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York City. WWRL airs an all-news radio format as an affiliate of the Black Information Network (BIN). The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.
By day, WWRL broadcasts at 25,000 wat ...
. Initially the program was a 15-minute spot, but was soon expanded to a half-hour show in the station's drive to attract women listeners. The show mixed household tips with conversation by John and her guests, which focused on social issues and community affairs and ran nationwide five days per week. That same year, she and her husband began offering a
concierge
A concierge () is an employee of a multi-tenant building, such as a hotel or apartment building, who receives guests. The concept has been applied more generally to other hospitality settings and to personal concierges who manage the errands of ...
service, which they called the ''House of Service'', for visitors to New York. Because of her extensive travel experience, she recognized the difficulty when traveling of making arrangements in an unknown city and their business helped travelers with informational requests, researching travel arrangements, setting reservations, and finding service providers for various needs. In 1953, John became the first black woman admitted to the New York chapter of the
Association of Women in Radio and Television. She ran a successful campaign with
Mary Dee Dudley, the first African-American female disc jockey in the United States, for the association to adopt a policy that all of their meetings would be held in non-segregated facilities.
Beginning in 1954, John produced the radio programs ''Alma John Talks to Teens'' and ''What's Right with Teenagers'', the latter broadcasting three times a week. These shows encouraged black youth to complete their education and strive for career opportunities, inspiring many to dream of entering the broadcasting business. ''What's Right with Teenagers'' was produced and directed by teenagers, and John helped them write scripts, plan programs, schedule interviews, and taught them to use the recording technology. Working with their schools, she also offered career advice and helped many of the students find employment. In 1957, she was awarded the ''
McCall's
''McCall's'' was a monthly American women's magazine, published by the McCall Corporation, that enjoyed great popularity through much of the 20th century, peaking at a readership of 8.4 million in the early 1960s. It was established as a small-for ...
'' Golden Mike Award at the national convention of the Association of Women in Radio and Television held in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
for her work on ''What's Right with Teenagers''. She was the first black woman to receive the award. In 1959, she was promoted to director of women's programming for WWRL.
![Alma Vessells John, 1950s](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Alma_Vessells_John%2C_1950s.jpg)
Over her 25-year association with WWRL, she produced various syndicated series on household hints, like ''Alma John Shoppers' Guide'', ''At Home With Alma John'', ''Household Hints'' and ''Speak of Color'', which featured advice on budgeting, credit, decorating, and nutrition. She produced a wide variety of shows including ''The World at Your Doorstep'', an interview show featuring talks with foreign visitors and a program geared to senior citizens called ''Golden Agers''. Other programs included public service projects such as information on health and civil rights issues, along with well-known guests like
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...
. In 1960, she was honored by the
National Urban League
The National Urban League, formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan historic civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of economic and social justice for African Am ...
, and throughout her career received numerous awards and honors from various civic organizations.
In 1970, she was approached by New York City television station
WPIX
WPIX (channel 11) is a television station in New York City. Owned by Mission Broadcasting, it is operated under a local marketing agreement (LMA) by Nexstar Media Group, making it a ''de facto'' owned-and-operated station and flagship (broadcas ...
to host a program about black issues and achievements. For two years she hosted ''Black Pride'', before becoming the show's producer in 1972. The program ran twice each week and featured a wide variety of guests, including
Coretta Scott King
Coretta Scott King ( Scott; April 27, 1927 – January 30, 2006) was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader who was married to Martin Luther King Jr. from 1953 until his death. As an advocate for African-American equality, she w ...
,
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...
,
Edythe J. Gaines,
Roberta Flack
Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the Billboard Magazine, ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", "Feel Like M ...
,
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has honored her as "the ...
, and
Pamela Strobel (aka Princess Pamela), among others. She also hosted the talk series ''Positively Black''. Her last television production was a talk show, ''Like It Is'', which was produced for WPIX in 1978.
Later career (1977–1986)
John hosted the Alma John Workshops and published a newsletter of the same name from 1979 to 1986. The workshops aimed to promote community uplift, education, and public health. They offered community members of all ages a place to share their creative works and organized events for participation, like visiting prisons,
detention centers
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correcti ...
, or children's homes. In connection with the workshops, she traveled widely and spoke to various organizations and groups.
Death and legacy
John died on April 8, 1986, at Harlem Hospital after suffering a stroke the previous day. Her funeral was held at Saint Paul Baptist Church of Harlem on April 12 and on May 1, the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
paid tribute to her memory. She was remembered for her contributions in the fight for civil rights, nursing, and as a pioneer radio personality. She influenced the careers of numerous media communications professionals like
Gary Byrd
Imhotep Gary Byrd (born March 14, 1949) is an American, New York City-based radio talk show host and executive producer, radio DJ, poet, songwriter, music recording artist and producer, rapper, writer and community advocate/activist. Byrd began h ...
,
Pablo Guzmán, David Lampel, and
Gil Noble
Gilbert Edward "Gil" Noble (February 22, 1932 – April 5, 2012) was an American television reporter and interviewer. He was the producer and host of New York City television station WABC-TV's weekly show '' Like It Is'', originally co-hosted with ...
, among others. John's papers were willed to the
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a research library of the New York Public Library (NYPL) and an archive repository for information on people of African descent worldwide. Located at 515 Malcolm X Boulevard (Lenox Avenue) b ...
in New York City, which received them in 1990. She was one of the radio pioneers featured on the
Smithsonian Productions documentary series ''Black Radio: Telling It Like It Was'' created by Jacqueline Gales Webb in 1996. The archival records of the program, including taped interviews with John are housed at the
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
Archives of African American Music and Culture
The Indiana University Archives of African American Music and Culture (AAAMC), established in 1991, is a material repository covering a range of African American musical idioms and cultural expressions from the post-World War II era. The collectio ...
in
Bloomington.
Notes
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Alma John papers, 1955–1980at the
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:John, Alma Vessells
1906 births
1986 deaths
Activists from Philadelphia
New York University alumni
African-American nurses
American radio producers
Activists for African-American civil rights
Radio personalities from New York City
Activists from New York City
American women nurses
African-American radio personalities
African-American activists
American women columnists
20th-century American women writers
Women civil rights activists
20th-century African-American women
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American writers
Women radio producers