Reflections: Celebrating Black History Month – Carol Robley
As part of Jackson Health System’s observance of Black History Month, members of our team share their reflections on the important history of the black community at Jackson and in South Florida.
When I was 12, my family traded the Caribbean skies and sandy beaches of Trinidad and Tobago for the concrete skyline and freezing snow of Brooklyn, New York. My mother emigrated with my brother and me in search of a better life. We didn’t have many possessions or money, and our thick Caribbean accent made us stand out like sore thumbs, but we were united in our search for opportunity.
My mother was a single parent and raised us the best she could – always involved and attentive, even when she had to work late nights. Her parenting style was simple. Since she never had access to a higher education, her children were going to. From an early age, she engrained in us the importance of graduating college and never allowing ourselves to be derailed by the temptations we’d find living in the Big Apple.
She taught me that when a door closes, keep knocking until it opens – advice that proved to be so relevant when my life hit low points.
I attended Manhattan Community College and graduated with an associate’s degree in nursing. After that, I attended City College of New York where I earned a bachelor’s degree. I didn’t stay in Brooklyn for long after that. I moved to New Jersey, where I worked and raised my three children.
Bedside nursing is not easy. It takes a strong individual to succeed in it. The hours are long, the cases are difficult, and the stress is high. So after years of bedside nursing, I was ready to face the next challenge: a master’s degree. With my mother’s voice in the back of my mind, I enrolled in Rutgers University in 2003.
After graduating and facing the challenges of life, I moved to South Florida in 2005.
But, in all honesty, I had grown tired of the cold weather and wanted somewhere warm like my native country. I had fallen in love with Miami. The diverse cultures were hypnotizing, the energy was electrifying, and the complex medical cases handled by Jackson Health System were incredibly attractive.
I could have gone to work at any hospital in South Florida. But the way people spoke about Jackson was remarkable. There was such pride and honor in the tone, as if each member of the Jackson family knew they were fighting to save lives. I wanted work for a system that created such pride in a person – especially one that never turned anyone away.
I was nervous when I left everything behind to start a new career at Jackson Memorial’s emergency room.
Eleven years ago, I made the most progressive move for my career when I joined the Jackson family. My entire first year at Jackson I was in complete disbelief. Everything I had previously heard about Jackson proved to be true. Working for the health system was difficult. The cases were complicated, and the people of the community depended heavily on us. But the reward was incredibly satisfying. I was amazed at the medical excellence, the passion to aid others, and how uninsured and insured patients received the same quality of care, medical advice, and compassion. What I was living was a 180-degree turn from the private hospitals that I had worked for – and I couldn’t have been happier.
Jackson has faced challenges, just like each of us have in life. There have been low points, but they have been outweighed by the high points. And just like my mother taught me, Jackson never gives up.
To me and to our community, Jackson is more than a building. It is a beacon of hope and pride. It is the peoples’ health system that will try to heal all who walk into its doors.
Carol Anne Robley, ARNP
Emergency Department
Jackson South Community Hospital