Dulcie Bishop Stewart publishes memoir at 90

Retired nurse-midwife Dulcie Bishop Stewart has released a memoir tracing her path from rural Jamaica to hospitals in Britain and the U.S. The book also recounts the workplace discrimination that pushed her to write her story.

Why it matters: - Stewart's memoir preserves a Black Jamaican woman's life story across migration, nursing, midwifery and public service. - The book adds a personal account of discrimination in a U.S. hospital and how Stewart responded. - The memoir is now available in print on Amazon and through major book retailers, widening access to her story.

What happened: - Dulcie Bishop Stewart, 90, published Why Shouldn't I Be Me?: A Jamaican Woman's Life Story. - The memoir follows Stewart from Portland, Jamaica, to hospitals in England, Scotland and the United States. - The Write Publishers released the book, and it is available now on Amazon and other major platforms. - Stewart said she wrote the memoir because of a remark made to her at the Veterans Administration hospital in Albany, New York, in 1979. - She said a supervisor asked in front of other staff, “Coming from your background, why would you want to work with people like these, who are indigent?” - Stewart reported the comment to the hospital administrator that same day. - The VA's head office in Washington, D.C., sent a representative to Albany to investigate.

The details: - Stewart was born in 1936 in Belmont, Portland, to a farmer and a seamstress. - In July 1956, Stewart sailed from Kingston to Southampton to begin nurse training at Ramsgate General Hospital in Kent. - She qualified as a State Registered Nurse in 1959. - She qualified as a State Certified Midwife in Edinburgh in 1961. - Stewart worked at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London. - Stewart also managed operating rooms in Manchester and Middlesex. - In May 1969, Stewart arrived in New York aboard the QE2 on its maiden voyage during a U.S. nursing shortage. - She joined the obstetric unit at Albany Medical Center. - Stewart's British qualifications did not count toward an American degree, so she returned to school while working nights. - She earned a bachelor's degree in nursing. - She later earned master's degrees in health education and health administration. - Stewart moved to the Dorn VA Medical Center in Columbia, South Carolina, where she became head nurse of a nursing home care unit. - She served four years in the U.S. Navy Reserve. - Stewart retired from the VA in December 2000. - The memoir records village life in 1940s Portland, including the shortcut to Seaside Elementary School through neighbors' fruit yards. - The book describes the Happy Grove church bell, which told the district the time. - The memoir includes the midwife everyone called Mother “P.” - Later chapters cover home deliveries as a student midwife in Edinburgh. - The book also covers the 1957 Asian flu outbreak that put Stewart in a hospital in Kent. - Stewart said, “When you travel internationally, you can experience discrimination. You cannot allow that to control your life. I wrote this book for anyone who is facing discrimination.” - Stewart volunteers at health clinics, keeps a vegetable garden and remains active in her church. - Stewart still does the tatting and crochet she learned as a schoolgirl. - Stewart's website is More information.

Between the lines: - The memoir frames Stewart's career as both a professional journey and a record of resilience against racial and class prejudice. - The workplace incident in Albany appears to be the emotional trigger for writing the book, but the memoir broadens into a wider family and community history. - The inclusion of everyday details from Portland suggests Stewart is preserving cultural memory, not just professional milestones.

What's next: - Stewart's book is now reaching readers through online and major retail channels. - The memoir may also serve as a source for readers interested in Caribbean migration, nursing history and immigrant life in Britain and the U.S. - Stewart continues her volunteer work and church involvement while promoting her first book.