Dr. Justina L. Ford
The Biography of a Pioneering American Physician
The Forging of a Healer
The story of Dr. Justina L. Ford is a testament to unwavering ambition in the face of formidable societal barriers. Born in 1871 in Knoxville, Illinois, to freed slaves, her path was shaped by a legacy of healing inherited from her mother, a nurse-midwife. This early exposure to holistic, community-based care became a cornerstone of her medical identity.
Despite the era's systemic racism and sexism, she graduated from Hering Medical College in Chicago in 1899. After arriving in Denver in 1902, she was issued a medical license only to be told by the examiner, "You've got two strikes against you... First of all, you're a lady, and second, you're colored."
Denied membership in all medical societies and barred from practicing in any hospital, Dr. Ford refused to be defeated. She established her practice within her own home in the Five Points neighborhood, creating a sanctuary of care from the very exclusion designed to marginalize her.
A Practice of Compassion
One grandmother, whose family had immigrated from the Philippines and Mexico, recalled her family turning to Dr. Ford because non-white patients were deeply skeptical of the care they would receive from white doctors in hospitals. She praised Dr. Ford as "a very capable doctor and a great lady."
The Martinez family... considered her their primary physician. Their father, a handyman and plumber, paid for their care by doing odd jobs at Dr. Ford's home. When their mother... fell ill, she refused to go to a hospital, trusting only Dr. Ford.
A Legacy in Bronze & History
Her Home, A Museum
Her home and office was saved from demolition and moved. It now houses the Black American West Museum & Heritage Center.
Cast in Bronze
Two statues honor her: one in Denver (1998) and another in Aurora (2024) as part of the global "Statues for Equality" project.
Enduring Honors
Inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame, honored by the CO Medical Society, and has a day, library, and school named after her.
Her Journey
1871 - A Healer is Born
Justina Laurena Warren is born in Knoxville, Illinois, to freed slaves Melissa and Pryor Warren.
1899 - A Doctor Emerges
Graduates from Hering Medical College in Chicago, a homeopathic school that offered a rare path for an African American woman.
1902 - The "Two Strikes" Challenge
Moves to Denver, receives her medical license, and is told she has "two strikes" against her for being a woman and being colored.
1902-1950 - A Practice Built on Exclusion
Denied hospital privileges, she builds a legendary 50-year practice from her home, serving the diverse Five Points community.
1950 - Victory at Last
After a 48-year fight, she is finally granted membership in the Denver and Colorado Medical Societies.
1952 - A Legacy Cemented
Dr. Ford passes away at age 81, leaving an indelible legacy of service, perseverance, and community care.