Healing through History: The Cook County Experience

Healing Through History: The Cook County Experience is a transformative community wellness event that examines the legacy of Cook County Hospital and the enduring impact of Dr. Quentin Young through storytelling, genealogy and engaging conversations. Bringing together residents, healthcare professionals, artists, and changemakers, the event creates space to reflect on the intersections of race, medicine, justice, and community care.

The program will feature a panel discussion on the future of health equity panelists include Dr. Linda Murray and Dr. Peter Orris, a genealogy presentaton by Aisha Allen, a conversation with filmmaker Maya Cueva. Through truth-telling, reflection, and creative expression, Healing Through History offers Chicago a bold model for how communities can honor the past while building a healthier and more equitable future.

About Dr. Quentin Young:
Dr. Quentin Young was a fearless physician, civil rights activist, and lifelong advocate for universal healthcare who dedicated his career to fighting for social justice, health equity, and the belief that healthcare is a human right.

Learn more about Dr. Quentin Young's Life and Legacy:

Working With the Panthers to Transform Health Care for Poor Black Communities

Dr. Quentin Young, Physician and Activist, Dies at 92 | Chicago News | WTTW

Dr. Quentin Young – selected obituaries, stories

About Cook County Hospital

"From its inception, Cook County Hospital was a center for medical education. Interns and attending physicians gained extensive experience with a wide range of diseases, despite initially being unpaid. By the early 20th century, the hospital had rebuilt and expanded, culminating in the 1914 Beaux-Arts building, which became a hub for medical innovation. Notable achievements included the world’s first blood bank in 1937, pioneered by Dr. Bernard Fantus, and the establishment of one of the first modern trauma centers and burn units in the 1960s. The hospital also played a key role in early AIDS care in the 1980s."

Learn more about the History of Cook County Hospital

Cook County Hospital

Cook County Hospital, once known as ‘Chicago’s Ellis Island,’ comes back to life as a hotel - Roadtrippers

Our Community Partners

About First Presbyterian Church of Chicago
First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, founded in 1833, is a historic South Side institution committed to community care, creativity, and civic engagement. In addition to its congregational life, the church actively partners with artists, educators, organizers, and neighborhood groups through cultural programming, food access initiatives, social justice efforts, and public gatherings—offering its historic campus as a place for meaningful connection and shared action

About Fresh Path Inc

Fresh Path Inc. is dedicated to serving Chicago’s most vulnerable and underserved individuals. We focus on enhancing the quality of life and fostering healthy, stable lives for those we assist. Although relatively new, our agency boasts a management team and staff with decades of experience in social services.

About Reel Mamas Chicago

Reel Mamas Chicago is an online magazine and digital media company dedicated to empowering and inspiring women filmmakers and providing a platform for their work.

About Taylor Brown Genealogy

Taylor Brown Genealogy is a full-service legacy storytelling company that specializes in genealogy research, oral history recording, document digitization, family reunion and special event planning, video production, animation, and documentary filmmaking helping families not only uncover and preserve their history, but vividly bring their stories to life through immersive visual storytelling and creative experiences.

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