1793

During Philadelphia's devastating 1793 yellow fever epidemic, Richard Allen and Absalom Jones organized the city's Black community to nurse the sick and bury the dead when white citizens fled or refused. Their service, later documented in their 1794 Narrative, demonstrated Black civic leadership and refuted racist claims of Black inferiority under duress.

During the devastating 1793 Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic that killed thousands, Richard Allen and Absalom Jones organized the city's free Black community to serve as nurses, gravediggers, and caregivers when white Philadelphians fled or refused to help. Their heroic service — later documented in their pamphlet 'A Narrative of the Proceedings of the Black People' — countered racist claims that Black people were immune to the disease while also defending the Black community against false accusations of theft.