Mary Eliza Mahoney

NURSE
Started working at New England Hospital for Women and Children at 18 years old as a cleaner and cook
The hospital's policies were progressive (for its time), treating patients regardless of skin color, and its nursing program even had a diversity quota: ONE Black student and ONE Jewish student. Per YEAR.
Mahoney applied to the training program multiple times, but worked at the hospital for 15 years before being accepted
She was one of only 3 students out of a class of 42 who graduated, becoming the FIRST Black professional nurse in America
Traveled throughout the East Coast, providing her services wherever she could for the next 43 years
Supported the founding of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, giving the welcome address at its first conference
The American Nurses Association (ANA) gives the Mary Mahoney Award every two years "in recognition of significant contributions in interracial relationships"
Inducted into the ANA Hall of Fame in 1976

Public domain photo via Wikimedia Commons

Bibliography: Harrison, Vashti. Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2017. Print.
Mary Eliza Mahoney. American Nurses Association. https://www.nursingworld.org/ana/about-ana/history/hall-of-fame/inductees-listed-alphabetically/

Support these organizations dedicated to preserving her story & mission:

Mary Mahoney Professional Nurses Organization
American Nurses Association

Biographies for Kids and Young Adults

Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History

Women in Medicine: Mary Eliza Mahoney and The Legacy Of African-American Nurses

Mary Eliza Mahoney, 1845-1926 : America's First Black Professional Nurse, a Historical Perspective

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