Mobile, Alabama – On September 16, 2025, The Mobile Medical Museum will present the premiere screening of Medicine and the Movement: The Story of Dr. Escous B. Goode of Alabama, a documentary about one of Mobile’s earliest and most prominent African-American physicians, who fought to desegregate hospitals, schools, and buses during the civil rights movement.

The feature-length documentary tells the remarkable story of Dr. Goode’s 56-year career as a physician in Mobile, where he had a private practice on Davis Avenue (now Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue) and delivered over 5,000 babies at Blessed Martin de Porres Hospital, the only hospital in Mobile where Black doctors could treat Black patients during segregation.

Through interviews and rarely seen archival materials, Medicine and the Movement also explores Dr. Goode’s marriage, his co-founding of the Rho Alpha chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and his work alongside John L. LeFlore on many of the key civil rights campaigns in Mobile and across the state of Alabama. In 1962, Dr. Goode became the first African American to run for Mobile County School Board, losing in a run-off while facing death threats.

“Few people know that health care was a major focus of the civil rights movement,” says Dr. Daryn Glassbrook, Mobile Medical Museum Executive Director, who wrote and directed the documentary. “Community leaders like Dr. Goode worked for decades to open doors for Black health care workers, provide more hospital beds for Black patients, and improve community health outcomes. Their work was incomplete, since racial disparities in health care persist in Mobile and across the U.S. Our hope is that this documentary inspires new leaders to pick up the torch.”

Dr. Glassbrook’s principal collaborator on the project was Kris Skoda of Skodaworks Media and Marketing, who served as Director of Photography, Creative Producer, Sound Mixer and Video Editor. Soundworks Voices provided voiceover narration. MOBILE MEDICAL MUSEUM 1664 SPRINGHILL AVENUE MOBILE, AL 36604 ph 251.415.1109 mobilemedicalmuseum.org

The premiere screening will be held at Bishop State Community College, CAMT 129 Lecture Hall, from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. The free event will feature a performance by Excelsior Band Preservation. Those interested in attending should RSVP by September 9 to admin@mobilemedicalmuseum.org.

“History belongs to all of us,” says Dr. Michael Lasecki, President of the Mobile Medical Museum Board of Trustees. “It comes in different forms: comfortable, uncomfortable, good, bad, popular and unpopular. History includes major events that shape entire societies and smaller events that affect individuals or local communities. The important thing is to learn from the past and avoid making the same mistakes. The story of Dr. Goode is a story worth remembering.”

This project was made possible through the generous support of the Mobile County Commission and the Alabama Humanities Alliance. Additional support was provided by The Daniel Foundation of Alabama, The Hearin-Chandler Foundation, The Eichold Family Foundation Fund at the Community Foundation of South Alabama, Mrs. Mary Elizabeth and Dr. Charles Bernard Rodning, Dr. Eddrice McMullan, and Dr. Franklin Trimm.

For more information, please contact Daryn Glassbrook at (251) 415-1109 or daryn@mobilemedicalmuseum.org.

About the Mobile Medical Museum

Founded in 1962, by Dr. Samuel Eichold, II, the Mobile Medical Museum preserves and exhibits medical artifacts and archives to commemorate Mobile’s prominent place in the history of medical education and public health within the state of Alabama and the Gulf Coast. The Museum’s collections and exhibitions provide the public with a broad understanding of the evolution of the art and science of health care.

The Museum is a privately operated and supported 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is not affiliated with any public entity.

About the Alabama Humanities Alliance

Founded in 1974, the nonprofit and nonpartisan Alabama Humanities Alliance serves as a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Through our grantmaking and public programming, we promote lifelong learning and impactful storytelling that lifts up our state. We believe the humanities can bring our communities together and help us all see each other as fully human. Learn more at alabamahumanities.org.

Alabama Humanities Alliance grants include support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed by grant recipients do not necessarily represent those of the NEH.