By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Seattle Children’s Odessa Brown Clinic and Tiny Tots Development Center recently celebrated the achievements of visionary and pioneering women with the presentation and unveiling of a mural in their honor. Anna Clise, founder of Children’s Hospital, Odessa Brown for whom the clinic was named after, and Helen Hicks, founder of Tiny Tots Development Center, have all played instrumental roles in serving Seattle’s Black community and its children for over 50 years were all honored at an event held at Odessa Brown’s Othello location.
“The mural unveiling was a tribute to Odessa Brown, Helen Hicks, and Anne Clise, three visionary and pioneering women who paved the way for healthcare equality, early childhood education, and orthopedics. It is important we continue to honor their work and legacy as it has opened the doors for so many of us,” said Kateesha Atterberry, Founder & Managing Director, Urban Black, LLC.
Dr. Jacqualine Boles, Director of Health and Family Services for the Tiny Tots Development Center and youngest daughter of Helen Hicks, believed it was the right timing to bring awareness and celebration to the visionaries of these organizations.
“When we held the groundbreaking for the new facility, my sister, Angelia Hicks-Maxie, the CEO of Tiny Tots, was very moved that Tiny Tots was going to be apart of this new facility, says Boles. “We felt it was appropriate that we commemorate the three women that were instrumental in bringing to life both organizations, and being able to be here and acknowledge the shoulders we are standing upon.”
A luncheon was held to unveil the latest mural by artist Marina Mezzogiorno-Brown, which depicted an excellent display of women in intricate detail and vivid colors. The event was attended by family members of the founders and special guests, who were given a tour of the facility while admiring the new mural. The strategically placed artwork was painted on the north side wall, opposite a walled windowpane, which provided ample natural light to accentuate the multitude of colors used in the painting.
“When I got the call to participate in this, I felt overwhelmed with joy,” says Mezzogiorna. “To have the opportunity to bring these beautiful pioneering women to life through art was an honor.”
On January 4, 1907, Anna Clise gathered 16 of her friends to discuss the lack of treatment options for children in local hospitals. They decided that all children should receive care regardless of the family’s ability to pay. They all agreed that support for the hospital will have to come from the community. So Anna called 23 of her friends to create a facility to treat crippled and malnourished children. Each of them contributed $20 to launch the hospital. On January 11, 1907, Anna incorporated the Children’s Orthopedic Hospital Association.
Her efforts persuaded Seattle Model Cities to develop a children’s clinic to serve the city’s Central District. During her campaign for the clinic, few friends or associates were aware of her battle with leukemia, which she had fought during her years as a CAMP community organizer. Odessa Brown died on October 15, 1969. When the time came to name the children’s clinic after it opened its doors in 1970, there was never a question that it would be named the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic.
In 1969, Helen Hicks was a working mother with two children struggling to find reliable quality care for her children at a time when there was no such thing, especially for children of color. Frustrated with the unreliable care available, she decided that she could stay home with her children if she took in three of the neighbor children while their mothers work charging them $2 a day for care. And so Tiny Tots was born. Presently, Tiny Tots has five high-quality care and education locations which serve over 400 families in the Seattle area. Helen has been instrumental in assisting other churches and individuals to open their early care and education services.
“We are celebrating the Legacies of Anna Clise; Founder of Children’s Hospital, Odessa Brown; namesake of the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, and Helen Hicks; founder of Tiny Tots Development Center,” says Hicks-Maxie. “The strength and dedication of these three women brought us here today.”
