More than 60 years ago, three Black nurses took a stand against segregation at Hampton’s Dixie Hospital, igniting a legal battle to advance civil rights.
On Saturday, Hampton honored the women — Mildred Smith, Patricia Taylor McKenzie, and Agnes Stokes Chisman — with a city heritage marker telling their story. The ceremony occurred Saturday at the Hunter B. Andrews Pre K-8 School, the same site as the former Dixie Hospital.
The marker tells the story of how, on Aug. 8, 1963, the three women protested segregated staff areas at the hospital by sitting in the spacious whites-only cafeteria. The small classroom designated for non-white employees was described on the marker as a “cramped basement.”
Their act of courage led to them being fired on the second day of their sit-in. However, the women filed a discrimination lawsuit against the hospital, which years later became Sentara Hampton General.
The hospital ended its cafeteria segregation policy shortly after firing the three women but still refused to rehire them. A federal judge initially dismissed their suit in 1964, ruling that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 could not be retroactively applied to the nurse’s protest in 1963. But in 1966, the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that their constitutional rights had been violated and ordered the hospital to reinstate the nurses and award them full back pay.
“The action of the ‘Dixie Three’ was part of a larger Civil Rights movement that placed the nursing profession among the efforts that lead to the end of Jim Crow laws that legalized segregation in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Maryland,” the marker states.
Smith died in 2013, but McKenzie and Chisman attended Saturday’s ceremony. Family members spoke on behalf of them. Robert Smith, son of Mildred Smith, described his mother and the other two nurses as “courageous” and noted how, in 1963, they said, “Enough is enough.”
“They put their faith in God and decided to face head on the giants of racism and bigotry and a system that was designed for them to fail,” Robert Smith said. “But what was meant to eliminate them, God used to elevate them.”
Deirdre Harvey, daughter of Patricia Taylor McKenzie, described the ceremony as “a historic moment” and said her mom was excited to have her story told. She commended her mother for taking a stand, knowing there would be consequences for her actions.
“I remember asking my mom how she felt doing that, and she was like, ‘You know, we had to do it.’ Not just for them, but for the future generations and students at the hospital,” Harvey said.
Denetra Hampton, who wrote and produced a documentary about the nurses called “The Dixie 3: A Story on Civil Rights in Nursing,” said the marker is an illustration of progress that has been made.
“It’s an elementary school now, and now every kid that comes into this school will know about the Dixie Three,” Hampton said.
Newly elected Mayor Jimmy Gray thanked Hampton and said her documentary is bringing attention to a story that was largely not talked about for several decades.
“A lot of people, when they think about historical markers, they assume they commemorate a president or a Civil Rights site or something like that, something big or something famous,” Gray said. “But not all history is written in bold strokes. Often, history is made quietly, gradually and by ordinary men and women whose names remain unknown, except for those in their hometowns, and that’s why we’re here today.”
Gray said the three nurses made “a profound statement” by simply sitting down to eat.
“Now, you won’t find the Dixie Three in all the history books at this time, but they did make history, and because all across the South at that time, there were small acts of defiance, and in small acts of defiance, they made a difference,” Gray said. “But no single act could change our nation, but their collective weight changed the whole world.”
Hampton has more than 140 historical markers that document city history. Some are state historical markers while others, like the one unveiled Saturday, are backed by the city government and known as “Hampton Heritage Markers.” To view an interactive map of these markers, visit: visithampton.com/attraction/historic-markers-in-hampton.
Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com