Episode 21: Ezelle Sanford III & Virvus Jones: The Homer G. Philips Hospital Story

For this special episode of the podcast, host Umar Lee sat down with scholar Ezelle Sanford III, a William G. Bowen Fellow in History at Princeton who is working on his doctoral dissertation on Homer G. Phillips Hospital. Joining him for the discussion is friend of the podcast, former comptroller and alderman, Virvus Jones. Ezelle provides an excellent historical vignette for the famed hospital located in the Ville neighborhood, talking about why it was important not just for St. Louis but the broader field of black medicine during the era of segregation in America. Virvus lends an excellent window into the politics and personalities behind the controversial and at times tense debate over the closure of the hospital, drawing on his experience both as a politician and activist during the era. Together, Ezelle and VIrvus weave a fascinating story about one of the city's most well known landmarks on the north side.