About the Film
Medicine and the Movement: The Story of Dr. Escous B. Goode of Alabama tells the story of a man, a place, and a community.
Dr. Goode practiced medicine in Mobile, Alabama, for 56 years. For most of his career, hospital wards and health services were racially segregated. As a Black physician, Dr. Goode was refused membership in medical associations and denied hospital admitting privileges.
Undaunted by these obstacles, Dr. Goode organized and led medical associations for Black physicians. He co-founded the Blessed Martin de Porres Hospital, where Black patients could be treated by Black physicians and nurses. He opened an office on Davis Avenue, once the bustling cultural and commercial hub of Mobile’s African-American community.
From the start, Dr. Goode was a dedicated community leader. He worked to expand opportunities for African Americans in healthcare, housing, and education. In the sixties, he served on the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Housing and became Vice President of the Alabama Advisory Committee on U.S. Civil Rights. In 1962, he made history when he ran for Mobile County School Board, the first African American to run for public office in Alabama since Reconstruction.
Dr. Goode (center) with Jackie Robinson (left) and Bishop W.T. Phillips of Apostolic Overcoming Holiness Church, 1950s.
Image courtesy of E. B. Goode via Marshall Wormley, The Doy Leale McCall Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of South Alabama.
“That was a time that Negroes had just got voting privileges, and a lot of them were of the opinion that Negroes couldn’t run for office. I ran to show it could be done.”
Dr. Goode was a well-known and respected figure at the time of his death, but few recognize his name today. Medicine and the Movement will introduce his story to new generations of students, educators, healthcare professionals, and community organizers. Nearly 40 years after his death, African Americans still lack equal access to health care, housing, and higher education and there are fierce debates about how to address these racial disparities. Contemporary audiences will find Dr. Goode’s story to be timely, resonant, and deeply moving.
Dr. Goode speaks at dedication of Blessed Martin de Porres Hospital, 1950.
Image courtesy of the Archives of the Archdiocese of Mobile.
The film will explore Dr. Goode’s medical practice, his family and social life, and his decades-long fight to free himself and others from the constraints of segregated institutions. Principal shooting will be done on location in Mobile, Alabama, including scenes filmed at the former site of Dr. Goode’s medical office and the former site of Blessed Martin de Porres Hospital. The film will also include rarely seen archival photos and materials as well as interviews with scholars, community leaders, healthcare practitioners, and former associates of Dr. Goode.