Delilah Beasley is the first recorded Black massage therapist in the United States. While the most comprehensive biography about her, Delilah Leontium Beasley: Oakland’s Crusading Journalist it is also only 70 pages long, she was a notable mover and shaker of history.
Early Life of Delilah Beasley
Delilah Beasley was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on September 9th either in the year of 1871 or 1867 (sources vary) as the oldest of five children. When her parents died within nine months of each other in her mid-teens, she dropped out of school, taking a job as a maid in order to support her family. As her siblings were divided among family members, Delilah then took up studies in Chicago to become a massage therapist.
Contributions in Bodywork
Massage therapy had begun to develop in the U.S. in the mid 1800s. As a developing higher-paying profession, Delilah pursued this path as a way to provide for herself. She began her massage therapy studies in Chicago before returning to Ohio for formal course work in hydrotherapy and nursing diagnosis, and therapeutic bodywork, with a specialty in treating pregnant women. Additionally, she studied medical gymnastics which had originated in Sweden, rising in US prominence in the 1850’s. Utilizing her training, she worked in sanitoriums and resorts in Chicago, New York and became the head massage therapist at a resort in Michigan, at one point giving scalp massages to pregnant women. Upon the request of a client, Delilah moved to Berkley, CA in 1910 to continue assisting them with their physical therapy. Here, she became reconnected with another passion: writing.
Other Contributions and Influences
One of Delilah's earliest passions was writing. At the age of 12, she had her first piece published in the Cleveland Gazette. Her next published piece was when she was 15 years old in the Cincinnati Enquirer. After moving to Berkley, she seemingly concluded her massage therapy profession in 1915 when she dove deeper into professional writing and public history, publishing a commentary in the Oakland Tribune in 1915 regarding the legendarily racist film, Birth of a Nation. She defend her decision to do so by writing a piece in the Oakland Sunshine stating, “News of special interest to us as a people ought to be discussed in our own papers among ourselves. But, if a bit of news would have a tendency to better our position in the community, then it should not only be published in our own race papers, but in the papers of the other race as well.”
In 1919, she self-published The Negro Trail-Blazers of California which was a compilation of nine years of research. While this book put her in three years of debt, it contributed to the written record of African American achievements and giving voice to those who had largely been written out of U.S. history. In 1923, the Oakland Tribune hired her to write her weekly column, “Activities Among Negroes” which highlighted Black achievements, brought awareness to civic barriers that people of color and women faced, and encouraged civic engagement among members of the community.
Her deep love for social justice bloomed further as Delilah corresponded with W.E.B. Du Bois, and later supported Booker T. Washington’s belief that “African Americans should focus less on classical education in favor of developing practical hands-on skills to secure jobs and economic security." Putting feet to her beliefs, Delilah became a member of many civic clubs including NAACP, the Alameda County League of Women Voters, the National Association of Colored Women, the Alameda County League of Colored Women Voters, the Public Welfare League of Alameda County, the League of Nations Association of the California Federated Women’s Club, the Oakland Council of Church Women, and the Linden Center Young Women’s Christian Association, and was also the President of the Far Western Inter-Racial Committee at the Oakland Museum.
In Conclusion
While Delilah's primary passions resided in writing and civic involvement, she used bodywork and nursing professions in addition to her activism to help heal the world. In pursuing this rewarding profession, she relocated to Berkley, California using local newspapers and organizations as a platform to use her voice, spreading understanding and perspective across races until her death in 1934.
In one word, Delilah Beasley was tenacious.
References:
Alexandra, R. (2018 March 9). The Oakland Tribune Journalist Who Highlighted Black Excellence [blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.kqed.org/pop/102326/rebel-girls-from-bay-area-history-delilah-l-beasley-pioneering-journalist
City of Oakland (2021 January 6). The Life of Delilah Beasley, A Conversation with Dorothy Lazard [YouTube video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y6das0mKXk
Eads, S. (2022 February 17). Celebrating Delilah Beasley, A Pioneer in Massage Therapy [blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.abmp.com/updates/blog-posts/celebrating-delilah-beasley-pioneer-massage-therapy
Zeel (2023 February 3). Black Change-Makers in Wellness History: Delilah Beasley [blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.zeel.com/blog/culture/black-change-makers-in-wellness-history-delilah-beasley/
Additional Sources:
Menechan, K. (2023 May 25). An Interview with Davonna Willis, Creator of the First Black Massage Therapist Conference [interview]. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/interview-davonna-willis-creator-first-black-massage-karen-menehan/
Menechan, K. (2023 December 11). Making History: The First Black Massage Therapist Conference [article]. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/making-history-first-black-massage-therapist-karen-menehan-eyhuc/
Comments