HARLEM’S HEROINE AGAINST HEROIN

Here’s an unsung hero we wanted to mention. Martha Davis formed the United Harlem Drug Fighters in New York City, to hep heroin addicts.
She realised they needed treatment, not punishment. But her calls for a special medical unit always fell on deaf ears.

So, on one rainy evening in 1970, she and her group staged a 25-day sit-in at Harlem Hospital. She called for reforms, an allocation of beds and a rehabilitation unit specifically for drug users to help them re-enter society. The protest paid off and authorities provided a centre and 100-bed detoxification ward.

In this interview Martha explains her desire and strength to get what her brothers and sisters needed. A more compassionate and effective approach to drug addiction.

Video credits-Black Journal; 28; The Black Woman, 1970