The achievements of these two men, like many other noteworthy African American achievements in other fields, are tragically often ignored and unacknowledged. Any information on them can be hard to find without digging deeper, let alone information about their accomplishments. We feel that this part of the field’s heritage should be recognized, protected, and cherished for future generations, so we at Greater Life Chiropractic are proud to detail the achievements of two of the most influential black men in the history of chiropractic.

Harvey Lillard

Harvey Lillard was the owner and operator of a janitorial company in Davenport, Iowa, and he happened to work in the same building as DD Palmer, who would later become the founder of chiropractic. At the time, Palmer was a magnetic healer, and Lillard had been deaf for 17 years. Apparently, an accident had knocked Lillard’s spine severely out of alignment, and Palmer noticed the severe crookedness. Coming to the conclusion that this may be the source of Lillard’s deafness, he performed what would be the first chiropractic adjustment on him in 1895. According to the records taken by Palmer, Lillard’s hearing was fully restored the moment the spine was aligned.

Details about the first chiropractic adjustment and Harvey Lillard’s life, in particular, are sparse. However, something we can be certain of is that, without Lillard’s presence and unwavering support of a practice yet to be born, the field of chiropractic would not be where it is now. In fact, it may not have even come to be.

Dr. Fred Rubel

Dr. Fred Rubel, a 1913 graduate of the National School of Chiropractic, was the first certified black chiropractor. In 1914, a mere year after his graduation, he founded the Rubel College of Chiropractic. This was not only the first school in the field to freely accept anyone regardless of race, but it was also one of the first degree-granting institutions to do so. With a heavily African American student population that was rather unique for the time, the college was founded on a message of equal treatment and racial empowerment through knowledge. When asked about his motivations for founding the college, he said that they were “realizing that any race of people, if it must succeed, should be trained in all professions.”

Here at Greater Life Chiropractic, Dr. Grant Lisetor and the rest of our team seek to carry on this dream of empowering people of all races with the knowledge of our field. If you’re curious to learn about the history of the field directly from the experts, or if you want to learn more about chiropractic care, contact us so we can show you our dedication to serving all of the citizens of Charlotte, no matter how they look or where they come from.

Sources

Wiggins, Desmond, and Roger Engel. “EXPLORING THE LILLARD EVENT AND LOCATION OF THE FIRST CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENT: A HISTORICAL REVIEW: Lillard Adjustment Revisited.” Chiropractic Journal of Australia 47.1 (2020): 51-60. https://www.cjaonline.com.au/index.php/cja/article/view/249

Photo Credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Harvey_Lillard.jpg

Description	English: Historical photo of William Harvey Lillard.
Date	circa 1900
Source	THE SCIENCE, ART, AND PHILOSOPHY OF CHIROPRACTIC (1911) – Daniel David Palmer
Author	Daniel David Palmer