Day 170: Esther Hipol Simpson, Chicago, Illinois
📌APIA Every Day (170) - Esther Hipol Simpson, born on November 27, 1945, in Pacdal, Baguio City, Philippines, earned her nursing degree from St. Paul College in Manila in 1967 and a Master's in Nursing from the University of the Philippines in Diliman before immigrating to the United States in 1973. She started her nursing career at Roosevelt Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, during a period when the U.S. faced a shortage of nurses in inner-city and rural hospitals. Filipino nurses, trained in Americanized medical programs, were specifically recruited starting in the late 1960s, and tens of thousands immigrated to the U.S. under the Immigration Act of 1965.
In 1975, after a couple of years in the U.S., Esther married Bill Simpson, and the following year they had their only son, Richie. The family relocated to Washington in 1982, where Esther worked at Harbor View Hospital for a year before spending the next 30 years at the VA Hospital in Seattle, Washington, until her retirement in 2014.
Beyond her nursing career, Esther was deeply involved in activist efforts, particularly in defending Filipino nurses against racial and gender discrimination. Notably, she supported Filipina nurses Filipina Narciso and Leonara Perez, who were wrongfully accused of poisoning patients at the V.A. Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Esther, alongside the KDP and the Chicago Support Group for the Defense of the Narciso-Perez Case, advocated for their defense through forums, fundraisers, and demonstrations, leading to the dismissal of the case in February 1978.
Throughout her career, Esther was a distinguished nurse and a prominent leader in her community. She served as President of the Filipino Nurses Association and actively participated in numerous associations, including the Filipino Community of Seattle and the KDP, Union of Democratic Filipinos. Even after retirement, Esther continued to make a significant impact, contributing to the KDP book "A Time to Rise." She passed away in 2018, leaving behind a legacy of activism and dedication to the Filipino community.
LEARN MORE:
Nursing Clio: Esther Hipol Simpson: Anti-Martial Law and Anti-Racist Activist
Esther Hipol/Floresca “Estoy” Simpson
ABC Chicago: Filipino nurses in America: The unseen, unsung, untold story
Inquirer: Voices of a Fil-Am movement in ‘A Time to Rise’
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