FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE: A WOMAN WHO ANSWERED THE CALL
“ God spoke to me and called me to His Service. What form this service was to take, he did not say.”
When we think of Florence Nightingale, we think of her as a nurse advocating for better sanitary care for wounded soldiers during the Crimean War and because of that role she was often referred to as the “Angel in White,” the “Lady With the Lamp” or the “Mother of Modern Nursing.” But she was much more— an English reformer, a statistician, a prolific writer, a champion of education for women, and a mathematician who believed in data visualization (while she didn’t herself create the pie chart of the Venn diagram she certainly paved the way for its inception). In addition, Florence was a devout Catholic who was called by God to do his work (much like Joan of Arc, another young girl who answered God’s call to service) but fortunately for Florence we had stopped burning non-conforming women at the stake by the 1800’s.
Florence Nightingale was born in Florence, Italy to parents of British nobility. Her parents, liberal humanitarians, believed in education for women and thus gave both their daughters a college edge, but while they supported her endeavors, they also hoped marriage and children were in the cards for Florence. But she didn’t share their views. While Florence adhered to a going-against-the-grain view on matrimony, she didn’t consider herself a feminist. She often praised white men in power for her success (notably her father and Sidney Herbert, the British Secretary of War.)
Years later, after receiving many awards and medals, (Royal Red Cross and the Order of Merit), monuments erected in her likeness (there are 3 statues of Florence in Dober alone), other adornments (a stained-glass window in Waterloo) and numerous acknowledgments (the poem “Welcome Eumenides,” Flight of the Swan, a book, and a few movies about her life), I wonder if she might’ve seen herself in a feminist light. I imagine that her induction into the Royal Statistical Society; a high honor for anyone let alone an unmarried woman, was the highlight of her life. Footnote from the author—While Florence was brilliant and decades ahead of her time, others factors contributed to her success. First off- there was the social status of her parents and the doors they were able to open. Then there was her wealth and whiteness that made it palpable for people to digest her independence and intellect. But it goes without saying- her perseverance, grit and take-no-for-an-answer determination led her across the finish line, and for this she should be celebrated and memorialized.
Women Rock! Statues of women dot the landscape with matriarchal prominence while they cause the patriarchy to take notice. It says, loud and clear: Here lies a women of magnificence. If Florence had a little help along the way, I’ll take it. No one ever said women had to go it alone- they just had to go for it. You rock, Florence!