February is Black History Month, and at Chamberlain University this is a time to not only celebrate the diversity of students, alumni and faculty, but also the achievements of African Americans and their role throughout our country’s history, especially nurses.
Thehistory of Black nursesin Americahas been marked bya fight for access– to education,to job opportunities, andmost fundamentally,to freedom.Evenwhen lackingformal education, earlyAfrican American nursesplayed a vital roleashealersto their communities.
The profession began to change when Mary Eliza Mahoney became the first Black nurse to graduate from nursing school and be professionally licensed. Since that day in 1879, African American nurses have continued to strive for equality in the profession.
This Black History Month, werecognize14 famous Black nurseswho have changed the nursing profession – and the world – for the better.From Harriet Tubman to modern-daytrailblazers, these Black nurses have left their mark on our history.Click here to download ourNotable Black Nurses in History poster.
1. Mary Seacole(1805-1881)
A British-Jamaican nurse and businesswoman who set up the “British Hotel” to care for soldiers during the Crimean War
While Florence Nightingale rose to international prominence following her time nursing soldiers during the Crimean War, another heroic nurse was on the front lines of the conflict: mixed-race nurse Mary Seacole. Seacole traveled the world extensively, nursing cholera patients during an outbreak in Panama, before seeking a nursing position in the Crimea – for which she was rejected. Undeterred, she established the “British Hotel,” which catered to sick and recovering soldiers. She visited battlefields to tend to the wounded and was referred to warmly by soldiers as “Mother Seacole.” In 2004, more than 10,000 people voted for Seacole as the “Greatest Black Briton,” and a statue of the famous nurse was unveiled in London in 2016.
2. Harriet Tubman(1822-1913)
A famed conductor of the Underground Railroad, theformer slavealso acted as a nurse during the Civil War, tending to Black soldiers and liberated slaves
Perhaps best known as an abolitionist andconductor of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman also made significant contributions in nursing.In addition tocaring forthepeople she rescuedfrom slavery, she served as a nurse for the Union Army, traveling to South Carolina to tend tosick and wounded Black soldiersandthose newly liberated from enslavement.This passion for care continued on after the war, when she established theHarriet Tubman Home for Aged & Indigent Negroesin 1908, where she cared for its residents until her death in 1913.
3. Mary ElizaMahoney(1845-1926)
FirstBlackwoman to earn a professional nursing license in the U.S.
While many African Americans served as nurses before her, Mary Ezra Mahoney often carries the distinction of being the first Black nurse in history to earn a professional nursing license in the U.S. and the first to graduate from an American nursing school. Born to freed slaves, she worked as janitor, cook, washerwoman and nurse’s aide over the course of 15 years at the New England Hospital for Women and Children, according to the National Women’s History Museum. At the age of 33, she entered the hospital’s nursing program and graduated 16 months later. As the first professionally trained and licensed Black nurse, she championed increased access to nursing education and fought against discrimination in the profession throughout her career, supporting the creation of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) in 1908.
4. Adah Belle Thoms(1870-1943)
National Association of Colored Graduate Nursecofounders, fought for Blacks toserve as American Red Cross nurses in WWI
In 1906, Adah Belle Thoms was named assistant superintendent of nurses at Lincoln Hospital in New York. While she would spend the next 18 years acting as director, her race precluded her from being given the title, according to theNational Museum of African American History & Culture.Thoms cofounded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, andserved as the organization’s president from 1916 to 1923, and she latersuccessfully lobbiedfor Black nurses to serve inthe American Red CrossNursing andArmy Nurse Corpsduring WWI.Thoms published the firstchronicle of the history of Blacknurses in America with herbook“Pathfinders: AHistory of the Progress of ColoredGraduate Nurses.”She was one the original inductees to the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame in 1976.
“Mrs. Thoms’ leadership is significant not only for her own race, but for those socially minded person of every race who cherish high purposes and unselfish accomplishments that bring promise of better relationships between people,”said Lillian Wald, of the Henry Street Settlement, in 1929.
5. Mabel Keaton Staupers (1890-1989)
Nurse, advocate and leader
Mabel Keaton Staupers immigrated to the United States from Barbados when she was just 13. Staupers encountered prejudice and discrimination early in her career and resolved to initiate changes that would generate equal rights for Black nurses, awaken the public to existing disparities and gain improved access to equitable healthcare services for Black citizens.
Honored with numerous awards, citations, and certificates, Staupers was one of the great heroines in nursing's history. Her book, "No Time for Prejudice,"recounts the many obstacles she overcame in her fight for equal recognition.
6. Estelle Massey Osborne(1901-1981)
The first Black nurse in the U.S. to earn a master’s degree and first Black faculty member of NYU’s College of Nursing, fought for racial equality in nursing
Estelle Massey Osbornepaved the wayforAfrican American nursestoenter education and leadership roles in nursing.At the time she entered nursing school in St. Louis,only 14 of 1,300 American nursing schoolswere open to Black students.She would go on to Columbia University, where she became thefirst Black nurse in historyto earn a master’s degree, and thenaccepted a position asassistant professorat New York University in 1946, becoming the school’sfirstBlackfaculty member.According to theAmerican Nurses Association (ANA), she stepped into numerous leadership roles – acting as president of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, a member of the ANA Board of Directorsand a delegate to the International Council of Nurses.
“[Osborne] showed how to question the status quo and break down barriers for women, and women of color, and women of color who are nurses.SoI think her impact is really threefold,”saidSandy Cayo, clinical assistant professor at NYU Meyers College and faculty advisor for the Black Student Nurses Association.“I think it goes without saying that she changed the trajectory for nursing.”
7. Mary Elizabeth Carnegie (1916-2008)
Groundbreaking nurse, educator and author
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Carnegie was a nurse, educator, author and tireless advocate for quality education and full recognition of African American nurses. A champion of change, she broke down racial barriers and was a trusted mentor to generations of nurse leaders. She was president of the American Academy of Nursing from 1978-1979 and was named a Living Legend of the Academy – the highest honor the nursing profession offers – in 1994. She chaired the American Nurses Association’s Minority Fellowship Program Advisory Committee from 1988-1999 and was a dean and professor at the School of Nursing at Florida A&M University from 1945-1953.
Dr. Carnegie was the author of three editions of "The Path We Tread: Blacks in Nursing Worldwide, 1854-1994"and she is credited with writing 85 articles including editorials in 30 journals, chapters and forewards in 20 books, and delivering more than 400 speeches.
8. Hazel Johnson-Brown(1927-2011)
Broke racial barriers in the armed services, serving as the first Black chief of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps and the first Black, female brigadier general.
HazelJohnson-Brownenlisted in the military in 1955, just seven years afterPresident Harry S. Trumanmovedto integrate theUnited StatesArmedForcesand abolishdiscrimination.As she continued to advance her education, she was named director of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursingand was named Army Nurse of the Year two times.In 1979, she was nominatedas the 16thchief of the Army Nurse Corps and promoted to brigadier general, becomingthe first African American woman to earn the rank.Following her retirement,she entered academia, serving as a professor of nursing at Georgetown University and George Mason University.
"Positive progress towards excellence, that's what we want,”she said. “If you stand still and settle for the status quo, that's exactly what you will have.”
9. Bernardine Lacey(1932-2021)
Distinguished nursing educator, political advocate, researcher, clinicianandleader; named a “Living Legend” by the American Academy of Nursing
Bernadine Lacey chose her nursing school because it was the only one in the state that would accept Black studentsinto a registered nursing program.According to theAmerican Journal of Nursing, she and the other Black students were forced to sit in the back row,and a white instructoroncetold her “You don’t have any business being this good” when she received high marks. That experience fueled herambitions in nursing, and led her to become an educator, political advocateandresearcher.She became one of thefirstBlacknurses in historyto be admitted to Georgetown University, when she enrolled in their RN to BSN program, andwent ontobecome thefounding director of the Western Michigan University Bronson School of Nursing.She received the American Academy of Nursing’s highest honorin 2014, when she was inducted as a “Living Legend.”
10. Eddie Bernice Johnson(1935 – present)
First registered nurse elected to Congress, and firstBlackwoman to serve as Ranking Member of Science, Space and Technology Committee
Eddie Bernice Johnsonhas made a careerout of firsts. Shebeganher careeras the first female African American chief psychiatric nurse at the VA Hospital in Dallas.Following the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, whichoutlawed discriminatory voting practices,Johnson became thefirst Black woman elected to public office in Dallaswhen she won a seat in the Texas House.She wasalsothe first Black woman to holdthe post of regional director for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare after her appointment by President JimmyCarter.In 1992, she becamethe firstregisterednurse to be electedto Congress, representing the 30thDistrict of Texas, and later the first African American and first female ranking member of the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
11. Catherine Alicia Georges (1944-present)
Nurse, author, and academic administrator.
Catherine Alicia Georges, EdD, RN, FAAN, is professor and chair of the Department of Nursing at Lehman College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. In 2018, she was elected the national volunteer president of AARP. She is also president of the National Black Nurses Foundation.
Previously, she was a staff nurse, team leader, supervisor, and district manager for the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. She serves on the Board of the Black Women's Health Study and R.A.I.N. Inc. She earned her undergraduate degree from the Seton Hall University College of Nursing, her MA in Nursing from New York University and a doctoral degree in Education Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Vermont.
12. Darlene Clark Hine (1947-present)
National Humanities Award winner
Darlene Clark Hine is a leading historian of the African American experience and is the John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, the most prestigious faculty appointment at the university.
In 2014, President Barack Obama honored Hine with a 2013 National Humanities Medal for her contributions in Black women's history and pioneering study of the study of the intersection of race, class, and gender. Hine is the former president of the Organization of American Historians (2001-2002) and of the Southern Historical Association (2002-2003). She was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in October 2006.
Her numerous publications include “Black Women in White: Racial Conflict and Cooperation in the Nursing Profession, 1890-1950” (1989); “Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia” (1993); and “The African American Odyssey” (7th ed., 2017).
13. Beverly Malone(1948-present)
President and CEO of the National League for Nursing,former general secretary of the Royal College of Nursingand former federal deputy assistant secretary for health
Growing up in the segregated South, Beverly Malone worked alongside her great-grandmother, who was a healer in the community, according to BBC News. From these beginnings, she found a passion for healthcare and went on to become the first African American general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, a two-time American Nurses Association president and served as deputy assistant secretary for health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the highest position held by any nurse in the U.S. government to that date. In her current post as CEO of the National League for Nursing (NLN), she promotes excellence in nursing education to build a strong and diverse nursing workforce.
“The world is changing, and the demographics are too, so we need to educate a diverse nursing workforce to make sure that we provide better care to a diverse nation and community,”she said.
14. Ernest J. Grant(1958-present)
First male president of the ANA and internationally-known burn expert; named Nurse of the Year for his work treating burn patients after the 9/11 terrorist attacks
As the past president of the American Nurses Association (ANA),Ernest Granthelped represent the interests of America’s 4 million registered nursesand has worked to encourage diversity in nursing.He was the first male to hold this office.An internationallyrecognized burn-care and fire-safety expert,he was presentedthe Nurse of the Year Awardin 2002by President George W. Bush for his work treating burn victims from the World Trade Center.Following the killing of George Floyd in 2020,Grant spoke out, encouraging nursesto educate themselves and call for change.
“The Code of Ethics obligates nurses to be allies and to advocate and speak up against racism, discrimination and injustice,” he said. “This is non-negotiable. Racism is a longstanding public health crisis that impacts both mental and physical health.”
Today,African American nurseshave representative bodies like theNational Black Nurses AssociationandBlack Nurses Rocktohelp support,developand advocate for Blacknurse leaders. Yet many of theseBlack nurses in historyhad neither this kind of support nor the backing of the legal system in their quest to overcome prejudice and discrimination in the nursing profession.
At Chamberlain University, we recognize the meaningful and significant contributions these Black nurses have made in advancing the field of nursing. We’re also very proud to play a role in educating and preparing nurses from all backgrounds with the skills they need to help shape the future of healthcare.
Click here to download our Notable Black Nurses in History poster.
Chamberlain University, an accredited institution, offers bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and certificate programs in nursing and healthcare professions. With a growing network of campuses and robust online programs, Chamberlain continues to build on more than 130 years of excellence in preparing extraordinary healthcare professionals.
Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post graduate APRN certificate programs at Chamberlain University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (www.aacnnursing.org/CCNE).
