Caro Spencer Wilson, RN

Caro Spencer Wilson’s sacrifice and commitment helped paved the way for generations of black Bermudian nurses.

She graduated as a registered nurse from Lincoln Hospital School for Nurses in New York, but was unable to get a position in Bermuda because of her race. This injustice led a group of Smith’s and Hamilton Parish residents to form the Hamilton Parish Nursing Association and to hire her to be the community nurse-midwife for Smith’s and Hamilton Parish.

On 24-hour call, she did her rounds on a pedal cycle, caring for the sick and delivering hundreds of babies. Later in her career, she drove a car. Politically active, she was a member of the Hamilton Parish Political Association and worked on the campaigns of parliamentarians Hilton Hill and Walter Robinson.

During a career that spanned 40 years, she was the recipient of numerous awards including the Queen’s Certificate and Badge of Honour. She lived to see the dismantling of racial barriers and played a crucial role in the establishment of the integrated Bermuda Nurses Association.