When Akron Children’s was founded more than 130 years ago, Akron and the surrounding region already had a reputation as a place that was open to racial and cultural diversity. For example, Sojourner Truth, a woman born into slavery who became a human rights advocate, had given one of the most famous abolitionist and women’s rights speeches–“Ain’t I A Woman?”–in Akron at the Women’s Rights Convention almost 4 decades earlier.
Stories like Sojourner’s help to illustrate how African American people’s varied, vast contributions are interspersed into the fabric of America. During Black History Month, their contributions are celebrated and shared.
But after you read about some of the people who’ve inspired a sample of Children’s employees, you might begin to ask, “Why dedicate only one month to Black history? Stories like these should be shared year-round!”
Karan Johnson, nurse manager in the adolescent unit, relies on her varied career in health care to instill trust in the health care system within minority communities.
Karan Johnson, nurse manager, adolescent unit
What brought you to Children’s?
Because of my personal health journey, which included 2 collapsed lungs, I became a respiratory therapist. For most of my 25-year career, I worked in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Summa Health, joining Akron Children’s after it acquired Summa’s NICU in 2011.
In 2011, I earned my nursing degree and became a nurse in the NICU. My grandmother had been a nurse and inspired my true hidden desire to become one. I later earned my MSN in health care management.
People used to ask me if I liked my job. I’d answer, “No. I love my job!” When an opportunity presented itself last fall to manage a new team, I was excited to accept a new career endeavor. My thinking is, “I have a lot of care and love to give, so why not share it with the adolescent unit’s patient population!”
Who is the African American person who inspires you?
It’s Ella Baker, civil rights and human rights activist who worked hard behind the scenes. Ella’s grandmother had been a slave, and her stories affected Ella. She wasn’t one to seek recognition. Instead, she enjoyed watching others reach their potential.
Ella used a group approach in her efforts to achieve equality for all. For instance, as the field secretary for the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Ella traveled across the U.S. to small towns to talk to ordinary Black people. She convinced and encouraged people to join together to stand up for basic human rights. In the NAACP, and later in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, she stood up for and did the things necessary to make change for the greater good.
How is this person impacting you today?
I like when everyone has a piece of the pie. As a nurse, that means that all people will receive the health care they deserve. Historically speaking, many Black people and people of color may have had distrust in the health care system, but today, I want them to feel confident when they come to Children’s. That’s why our 3 promises are so important. It’s with confidence that I can tell a patient’s family, we’re going to care for your child just like they’re our own child.
Thomas Jefferson, career academy liaison and special projects coordinator, external affairs, believes in ensuring students can access opportunities to help them grow and succeed.
Thomas Jefferson, career academy liaison and special projects coordinator, external affairs
What brought you to Children’s?
I joined Children’s 3 years ago in a newly created position to work with Akron Public Schools’ (APS) North High School. Akron Children’s was the first area business to partner with APS after it formed its college and career academies, where high school students can explore various careers while preparing for life after graduation. We were meeting in-person, often bringing students to Children’s sites, until the pandemic hit. We’re still working with North High students, but just more creatively and virtually.
Prior to joining Children’s, I worked at Kent State University as one of the directors for its TRIO Upward Bound program. It’s a federal program that increases educational opportunities and diminishes barriers for first-generation, low-income students and families.
Who is the African American person who inspires you?
There are two people. The first is civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Upward Bound program beneficiaries, its students and their parents, are descended from people who participated in the civil rights movement and war on poverty. When Dr. King fought for civil rights, he was considered radical and not as revered as he is today. He led the charge anyway. His legacy and service to others paved the way for modern-day activists like Colin Kaepernick, the football player who was considered radical when he took a knee in 2016 to protest police brutality and racial injustice.
The second person is my mom. I grew up in a low-income family. My mom encouraged me to become a doctor. She had many health issues, but through her faith, she made the most of her life and never gave up. She inspired me to continue through hardships. I was the first in my family to graduate with a baccalaureate degree. Sadly, she died during my senior year of college and was not able to see me walk across the stage.
How are these people impacting you today?
Through my work at Children’s, we’re exposing students to opportunities they would not have otherwise had. We’re offering real life, hands-on experiences where students see health care professionals doing the jobs that they might do someday. It’s our goal to help create a pipeline of future health care professionals that is representative of the community they serve. Like Dr. King, we’re leading the charge in our community to create change.
In August 2020, I earned my doctorate degree, the dream my mom and I shared. In the acknowledgement section of my Ph.D. dissertation, I wrote to my mom, “mission accomplished.” My mom would be proud.
Sumayya Mateen-Jackson, supervisor IS support, uses her IT knowledge and team oversight in ways that benefit Children’s employees and contractors as they care for Children’s patients and their families.
Sumayya Mateen-Jackson, supervisor IS support
What brought you to Children’s?
I joined Children’s information services division as a contractor working on the Imprivata sign-on application before being hired in 2012. I’ve been in my current role overseeing service desk analysts since 2016.
Virtually everything we do in the hospital involves computers, which means my team works 24/7. We provide IT customer service that ranges from responding to user questions, installations, system monitoring, testing, problem diagnosis, tracking, resolution, etc. It’s busy, but it gives me satisfaction knowing how our work contributes to the work we do at Children’s.
Who is the African American person who inspires you?
There are multiple people, all of whom were educators. In 4th grade, I attended an elementary school on Cleveland’s west side. There were few Black children there. So, when I met the school principal, a Black woman, it impacted me. Not only was she kind and helpful, but she looked like me.
The next person was my high school physics teacher. He was a Black man who held 2 master’s degrees, plus a doctorate degree. He made physics fun and encouraged me to always strive for success. I remember thinking, “This man has his Ph.D. He could be teaching anywhere, yet he chose to work at my downtown Cleveland high school.”
The last person is my stepmother, who came into my life when I was 13. She was a high school principal on Cleveland’s east side. Whether she was working with kids who needed extra help or any of her staff, she treated everyone kindly. You could tell she cared about them and that respect was reciprocated.
How are these people impacting you today?
In college, I was a business administration major before I took a computer class in my junior year. I loved the class and ended up changing my major. Like those who inspired me, I’m able to do the kind of work that I like and, hopefully, make someone else’s day better by sharing what I know.
I’ve always wanted to help kids and through my job, I’m doing that. Knowing that my work can help our staff or patients makes me feel like I’m doing my part.
