Virginia M. Alexander

**Virginia Margaret Alexander** (4 ga Fabrairu, 1899 - 24 ga Yuli, 1949)   likita ce 'yar Amurka, mai bincike kan lafiyar jama'a, kuma wacce ta kafa Aspiranto Health Home a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania .

## Rayuwa ta farko
An haifi ɗan shekara huɗu cikin yara biyar a Philadelphia ga Hilliard da Virginia (Pace) Alexander, waɗanda aka haifa a cikin bauta a Amurka,   Mahaifiyar Virginia Alexander ta mutu tana da shekaru 4. Tana da shekaru 13, makarantar koyon hawa ta mahaifinta ta rufe.  Ta janye daga makaranta don taimakawa wajen rage matsin tattalin arziki da ya haifar wa iyalinta, amma mahaifinta ya dage cewa sai ta kammala karatunta.  'Yan uwanta sun haɗa da fitaccen lauya Raymond Pace Alexander . 

## Ilimi
Alexander ta yi makarantar sakandare a Makarantar Sakandare ta William Penn don 'Yan Mata, inda ta kammala karatunta da girmamawa kafin ta sami tallafin karatu wanda ya ba ta damar zuwa Jami'ar Pennsylvania don kammala karatun digiri na farko.   Alexander ta ɗauki aiki a matsayin mai hidimar abinci, magatakarda, da kuma mai hidimar gida domin biyan kuɗin rayuwarta har zuwa kwaleji.  Ta kuma kasance memba na ƙungiyar baƙar fata ta Delta Sigma Theta .  Ta ci gaba da karatunta na likitanci a Kwalejin Likitoci ta Mata ta Pennsylvania . A cikin gwajin ƙwarewar likitanci a duk faɗin makaranta, Alexander ta sami maki na biyu mafi girma, wanda ya fi maki da shugaban makarantar ya samu.  Wani labarin da aka buga a cikin *[[Rikicin|The Crisis]]* shekaru bayan haka ya yi zargin cewa Kwalejin Lafiya ta Mata ta Pennsylvania tana nuna ƙiyayya ga ɗaliban launin fata kuma yana da matuƙar wahala a shawo kan shirin kwata-kwata saboda ayyukan wariyar launin fata da suka faru a can.  Tare da taimakon ayyukan agaji na sirri da kuma aiki a matsayin magatakarda, mai hidima, da mai hidimar abinci, Alexander ya kammala karatun likitanci a cikin kyakkyawan matsayi a 1925.  

A shekarun 1910 da 20, doka ta wajabta wa masu neman aikin likita su kammala aikin tiyatar asibiti domin su yi jarrabawar lasisin jihar kuma su sami damar yin aikin likitanci.  Duk da haka, lokacin da Alexander ta fara neman aikin tiyatar likita, ta fuskanci kin amincewa daga asibitoci da yawa na Philadelphia saboda launin fata.  Misali, shugabar ɗaya daga cikin asibitocin da suka ƙi ta ta ce, "Da a ce kai ne farkon wanda ke neman aiki dubu, da har yanzu ba za a ba ka izinin shiga ba." 

Asibitin da Kwalejin Likitanci ta Mata ta Pennsylvania ke gudanarwa shi ma bai karɓe ta ba, amma makarantar ta taimaka wa Alexander da wata ɗaliba, Mae McCarroll, samun horon aiki a Asibitin Launi na Kansas City da ke Missouri a shekarar 1925.  Alexander da McCarroll su ne mata biyu na farko da suka shiga asibitin domin a da, dokokin sun hana mata shiga aikin ɗalibi.  Alexander ya zauna a birnin Kansas don kammala aikin tiyatar yara a Asibitin Wheatley-Provident. 

## Sana'a
A shekarar 1927, Alexander ta koma Philadelphia. Tana da sha'awar lafiyar jama'a amma ta bi aikin likitanci ne saboda buƙatar kuɗi. 

### Gidan Lafiya na Aspiranto
Alexander ta kafa Aspiranto Health Home a cikin gidanta da aka gyara a shekarar 1930.  Manufofi biyu na ƙirƙirar wannan cibiyar sune samar da kiwon lafiya ga waɗanda ke buƙatarta amma ba sa samunta, da kuma samun damar samar da kulawa ta hanyar da ba ta saba ba a lokacin.  Aspiranto ta samar da ayyukan kiwon lafiya na "zamantakewa" ga membobin al'ummar Baƙar fata Amurkawa a Arewacin Philadelphia.  Aikinta a fannin aikin sirri ya taimaka wajen samar da kuɗin kula da lafiyar Alexander. Ayyukan da Aspiranto ke bayarwa, waɗanda galibi kyauta ne, sun haɗa da kula da lafiya gabaɗaya, kula da haihuwa, da kuma kula da lafiya na gaggawa.  Tunda yawancin abokan cinikinta ba su da kuɗi mai yawa, Alexander ta sami ƙarancin kuɗi fiye da maza fararen fata a wannan yanki waɗanda ke da damar samun ƙarin kuɗi.  Abokiyar aikin Alexander Helen Octavia Dickens ita ma mai aiki ce a gidan. 

### Shiga cikin al'umma da fafutuka
Alexander ta kasance mai himma a ƙungiyoyi daban-daban na zamantakewa, ƙwararru, da na ilimi. Ta yi aikin likitanci a Asibitin tunawa da Frederick Douglass da Makarantar Horar da Ma'aikatan Jinya, Asibitin Kwalejin Lafiya ta Mata ta Pennsylvania, Asibitin Pennsylvania, kuma ta yi aikin gudanarwa a Asibitin Convalescent.  A shekarar 1931, Alexander ta zama Quaker a hukumance. Ta ci gaba da amfani da matsayinta a cikin da'irar fararen Quaker don ƙarfafa inganta ayyukan kiwon lafiyar jama'a ga marasa lafiya 'yan Afirka ta Amurka. 

A cikin al'ummarta, Alexander ta kasance mai himma a cikin kwamitin gudanarwa na Wharton Settlement, ƙungiyar Kiristocin Matasan Mata, ƙungiyar Mata ta Duniya don Zaman Lafiya da 'Yanci, da kuma ƙungiyar Addini ta Abokai, inda ta kasance mai himma a Kwamitin Hulɗa da Kabila, Cibiyar Hulɗa da Kabila, da kuma Ƙungiyar Abokan Matasa. 

Alexander ta jawo hankalin takwarorinta fararen fata waɗanda ke da alhakin zamantakewa da tattalin arziki ga lafiyarsu, waɗanda a da ba su yi la'akari da su a baya ba.  Ta fara nazarin rashin daidaiton lafiyar jama'a ga marasa lafiya baƙaƙe da fari a Philadelphia a 1935 a matsayin wani ɓangare na shigarta cikin Cibiyar Hulɗa da Kabila (duba "Littattafai").  Alexander ta lura da yanayi daban-daban ga marasa lafiya Baƙaƙe kamar rashin wuraren shakatawa, nuna wariyar launin fata a asibitoci, da kuma hana likitocin Baƙaƙe yin aiki a asibitoci.  Alexander ta kuma rubuta bambance-bambance a sakamakon lafiya: ta gano cewa jarirai Baƙaƙe sun mutu a ninki biyu na jarirai fararen fata, kuma marasa lafiya Baƙaƙe sun mutu sakamakon tarin fuka a ninki shida na adadin marasa lafiya fararen fata.  A wannan lokacin, Alexander ta sami kuɗi daga Gidauniyar Rosenwald, wadda ta yi amfani da ita wajen kafa Cibiyar Kula da Lafiya ta Arewa ta Philadelphia. 

A lokacin Yaƙin Duniya na Biyu, Alexander ta yi aikin sa kai a matsayin likitan lafiyar jama'a a Birmingham, Alabama, ta hanyar Ma'aikatar Lafiya ta Amurka, inda yawancin marasa lafiyarta masu hakar ƙarfe da kwal ne. Ta kuma yi aiki a matsayin likitan mata a Asibitin Kwalejin Kiwon Lafiya ta Mata, Asibitin Mercy, da Asibitin Pennsylvania. Daga ƙarshe, Alexander ta ci gaba da koyarwa a Kwalejin Kiwon Lafiya ta Mata ta Pennsylvania kuma ta yi aiki a matsayin Likita mai kula da ɗaliban Mata a Jami'ar Howard .

### Aikin lafiyar jama'a
Fannin lafiyar jama'a ya samu karbuwa a shekarun da suka gabaci Yaƙin Duniya na Biyu, kuma Alexander tana ɗaya daga cikin mutanen farko da suka sami digiri na biyu a fannin lafiyar jama'a.  An shigar da Alexander Jami'ar Yale a shekarar 1936 don yin karatun lafiyar jama'a, inda ta sami digirinta a shekarar 1937.  Ba da daɗewa ba bayan ta bar Yale, ta karɓi aiki a Jami'ar Howard a matsayin mataimakiyar likitan jami'a ga ɗaliban mata. 

Alexander ta yi aiki tare da Hukumar Lafiyar Jama'a ta Amurka daga 1943 zuwa 1945 a Asibitin Slossfield da ke Birmingham, Alabama. Bayan haka, ta koma Philadelphia inda ta ci gaba da aikin likitanci ban da yin aiki tare da Quakers na gida kan dangantakar launin fata. 

## Rayuwar mutum da mutuwa
Alexander ta zauna tare da mahaifinta a Arewacin Philadelphia tsawon mafi yawan rayuwarta. Alexander ba ta taɓa yin aure ko haihuwa ba amma an ruwaito cewa tana da dangantaka ta aure da WEB DuBois, wanda edita ne a *[[Rikicin|The Crisis]]* a lokacin kuma wataƙila ya rubuta labarin da ya nuna ta. 

Alexander ta mutu a ranar 24 ga Yuli, 1949, tana da shekaru 50, a ƙasar haihuwarta ta Philadelphia bayan shekaru da yawa tana fama da cutar lupus .  An binne ta a Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania, a makabartar Mount Lawn. 

## Littattafai

* *Matsalolin Zamantakewa, Tattalin Arziki, da Lafiya na 'Yan Kabilar Arewacin Philadelphia da Alaƙarsu da Cibiyar Nuna Lafiyar Jama'a Tsakanin Kabilu*, 1935.
* *Asibiti a Negro*, 1937.
* *Matsayin Lafiya da Bukatun Matasan Negro*, 1940.
* *Matsayin Lafiyar Ma'aikatan Baƙaƙe a Hukumar Matasa ta Ƙasa a Gundumar Columbia*, 1941.

## Manazarta