Celebrating An Unsung Hero for Black History Month - the life of Dr. John Andrew Kenney
Celebrating Black History Month 2022
John Andrew Kenney, 1874-1950
The Great Migration, the historic movement of African Americans from the South to the North was triggered by economic opportunities, racial discrimination, racial intimidation and fear. Thousands fled from the former plantations and labor camps to northern cities from Chicago to Washington, D.C. This mass exodus continued for over two decades halted by the impact of the First World War, a series of race riots, a pandemic and ultimately a Great Depression. In the process the nation witnessed a tremendous shift of manpower and brainpower culminating in a Black Renaissance.
Lost in the numbers of southern refugees is John Andrew Kenney, Sr. An unsung hero, Kenney was a noted civil rights activist of the pre-Brown era; a superb physician; member, secretary and later president of the National Medical Association; the founder of the National Medical Association Journal; founder of several hospitals; and devoted husband and father.
A son of the South, Kenney was born in Albemarie County, Virginia to John and Caroline Kenney on June 11, 1874. He graduated from Hampton Institute in 1897, and completed his medical training at Shaw University’s Leonard Medical School in 1901. Shortly afterwards, in 1902, Dr. Kenney went to Tuskegee, Alabama to work at Tuskegee Institute. There he became the private physician to Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Robert Moten, and became a prominent fixture on the campus.
Dr. Kenney played a critical role in operation and development of Tuskegee’s Hospital and Nurse Training School. He was the medical director and chief surgeon of the John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital. Later, in his tenure after the death of Washington, Kenney ran afoul of the Klu Klux Klan in his quest to hire black physicians for the nearby V.A. hospital. In 1924, facing death threats, Kenney and his family fled Tuskegee and found their way to New Jersey.
Finding shelter in Essex County, the Kenney’s raised their family in Montclair. Yet, due to discrimination, he was unable to work in the local hospitals. With funds from his private practice, Dr. Kenney used his resources to establish a hospital for African Americans in Newark. Opening in 1927, the Kenney Memorial Hospital (named in honor of his parents) functioned as a private facility for African Americans. In 1934, it became Community Hospital, the first integrated hospital created in the city.
Dr. Kenney’s life serves as a witness to racism and discrimination. Racist views of black medical schools led to the closing of Kenney’s Leonard Medical School and all of the other black schools with the exception of Howard and Meharry. White fears of black doctors, especially those who might treat white patients, led to his departure from Tuskegee and the denial of lucrative opportunities in Montclair. Undeterred, events encouraged him to develop a practice in Newark.
Kenney’s positive outlook transformed every negative experience. His efforts paved the way for others. For example, Frederick W. Douglas, Montclair’s next black physician, gained admittance to Mountainside Hospital, becoming the first black doctor to treat black and eventually white patients there. Hard fought efforts with the NMA ensured the survival of Howard and Meharry’s medical schools and promoted the need for every black physician to devote their careers to the health needs of the black community. Two of his sons followed him into the profession, and John, Jr. became a pioneer in African American dermatology.
While Dr. Kenney is best known in New Jersey as the founder of Community Hospital, his national prominence stems from his guidance of the NMA. As a leader in the NMA, he was part of a brain trust that guided the profession through its first century. From 1904 to 1912, he was the secretary of the NMA, and he was selected as its president in 1912. According to medical historian Dr. Montague Cobb, it was Kenney who proposed the creation of a journal in 1908. Dr. Kenney served as its associate editor and business manager until 1916, then becoming editor-in-chief, a position he held until 1948. In this position, he wrote extensively publishing the journal six times a year. Dr. Kenney also gave select speeches to African American audiences.
Although he had his last moments in New Jersey, Dr. Kenney did not remain in the Garden State. He stayed at his Newark hospital for 12 years before handing it over to younger protégées. He subsequently taught and performed surgeries at Meharry, but his heart brought him back to Tuskegee. Dr. Kenney remained at Tuskegee and the John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital until 1944. On November 1st, he announced in the NMA Journal that he was leaving Tuskegee to go to 39 Madison Avenue in Montclair.
He did not write it, but Dr. Kenney was tired. Known for working 18-hour days, his pace was catching up with him. Once when asked if he would ever retire, he responded: “No, I would rather wear out than rust out.” In 1950, his life extinguished from that burden.
New Jersey students, particularly those in Newark, should know the name John A. Kenney. Not simply because he was a doctor, the founder of hospitals, or a key member of an influential organization, but rather because he is a role model to perseverance. He reveals the triumph of man over his environment. He did not allow his race to become a factor. In a quiet and dignified manner, Dr. Kenney changed the course of history for African Americans by improving health care where none existed. In this era of pandemic, we can honor him by making sure that we take full advantage of available medical services.
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