Mary Eliza Mahoney

Mary Eliza Mahoney
Born
Mary Eliza Mahoney

(1845-05-07)May 7, 1845†
Dorchester, Massachusetts, US
DiedJanuary 4, 1926(1926-01-04) (aged 80)
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Alma materNew England Hospital for Women and Children
OccupationNurse
Known forFirst African American woman to complete nurse's training in the U.S.

Mary Eliza Mahoney (May 7, 1845 – January 4, 1926) was the first African-American to study and work as a professionally trained nurse in the United States. In 1879, Mahoney was the first African American to graduate from an American school of nursing.[1][2]

In 1908, Martha Minerva Franklin and Adah B. Thoms, two of Mahoney's colleagues, met in New York City to found the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN). Mahoney, Franklin, and Thoms worked to improve access to educational and nursing practices [3] and to raise standards of living for African-American registered nurses.[2] The NACGN played a foundational role in eliminating racial discrimination in the registered nursing profession.[2] An increase in the acceptance of Black women into notable medical positions, as well as the integration of the NACGN with the American Nurses Association, prompted the dissolution of the organization in 1951.[4]

Mahoney received several honors and awards for her work. She was inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame in 1976[5] and the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993.[6]

  1. ^ Godfrey, Carolyn J. (Jan–Feb 2005). "African American Nursing Faculty: Where Are They?". ABNF Journal. 16 (1): 11–13. PMID 15813481. ProQuest 218873014.
  2. ^ a b c "African American Medical Pioneers". PBS. WGBH.
  3. ^ Andrist, Linda C.; Nicholas, Patrice K.; Wolf, Karen Anne (2005). A History of Nursing Ideas. Jones & Bartlett Learning. ISBN 978-0-7637-2289-0. OCLC 59756149.[page needed]
  4. ^ Gamble, Vanessa Northington (April 1990). "Nursing History". Nation. 250 (15): 536–538.
  5. ^ Touscany, John (2021-02-01). "Mary Elizabeth Mahoney - First African-American Nurse". Wisconsin Center for Nursing. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  6. ^ "Mahoney, Mary". National Women’s Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2022-02-11.