Clockwise: Harriet Tubman, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Hazel Johnson-Brown. Source: Getty.
Certified Nurses Day, observed annually on March 19, is a dedicated time to celebrate and honor nurses who have earned certifications in their specific areas of practice. This special day recognizes nurses who demonstrate a commitment to excellence by obtaining and maintaining advanced credentials in their field, reflecting their expertise, advanced skills, and dedication to delivering high-quality care, as highlighted by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.
On Wednesday, employers, certification boards, educational institutions, and healthcare organizations will come together to publicly acknowledge the achievements of nurses who have attained the highest credentials in their specialties. The day serves not only to appreciate our beloved healthcare experts but also to highlight the critical importance of professional development and continuing education in the nursing profession. Nurses who pursue certification are driven by a deep passion for their specialties, and Certified Nurses Day recognizes their hard work, perseverance, and dedication to advancing patient care.
Source: Universal History Archive / Getty
However, the legacy of nursing excellence extends beyond certification. Throughout history, Black nurses have made significant contributions despite facing extreme adversity. Following the Civil War, while African Americans gained some measure of freedom, they continued to face systemic racial discrimination, segregation, and unjust laws that threatened their practice. Black nurses, however, persisted through these challenges, working tirelessly to ensure their communities received the medical care and support they desperately needed.
According to NC Central University, these nurses rose to extraordinary occasions—creating support for Black soldiers during the Crimean War, restoring the health of freed slaves after the Civil War, and establishing organizations that continue to empower Black nurses today. Pioneering Black nurses like Mary Eliza Mahoney, Adah Belle Thoms, Estelle Massey Osborne, and Della H. Raney overcame immense barriers to provide essential care, setting a powerful example for future generations.
As we observe Certified Nurses Day, it is important to not only celebrate those who hold certification but to also honor the trailblazing Black nurses whose contributions have shaped the medical field and continue to inspire future healthcare leaders.
Here are 14 influential Black nurses whose dedication, passion, and hard work have left an incredible mark on healthcare.
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Per Women’s History, as a teenager, Mary Eliza Mahoney began working at the New England Hospital for Women and Children, a facility renowned for its exclusive care for women and children, staffed entirely by female physicians. Following her dreams of becoming a nurse, over 15 years ago, Mahoney served in various capacities, including janitor, cook, laundress, and nurse’s aide, immersing herself in the hospital’s operations. These diverse roles provided her with invaluable insights into the nursing profession.
Her hard work eventually paid off. Mahoney made history as the first African American woman to become a professionally trained nurse in the United States and notably the first to graduate from American nursing school. After graduating in 1879 from the New England Hospital for Women and Children, Mahoney earned her professional license and worked as a private duty nurse, breaking racial and gender barriers in the nursing profession. Patients adored the changemaker so much that they praised her for her incredible bedside manner, patience and efficiency, Women’s History noted.
In addition to her nursing career, she was a founding member of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) in 1908, advocating for equal opportunities and the inclusion of Black nurses in professional organizations.
2. Adah Belle Thoms
According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Adah Belle Samuels Thoms graduated from the Lincoln School for Nursing in New York in 1905 and began working full-time at Lincoln Hospital as the head nurse of the surgical ward. In 1906, she was appointed assistant superintendent of nurses. Although Thoms effectively served as the acting director of the nursing department until her retirement in 1924, she was never formally given the title due to racial discrimination.
In response to the challenges faced by nurses of color, Thoms played a key role in founding the National Association for Colored Graduate Nurses, where she served as president from 1916 to 1923. During World War I, Thoms successfully campaigned for the inclusion of Black nurses in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. In 1929, she published Pathfinders: A History of the Progress of Colored Graduate Nurses, the first book to document the experiences of Black nurses in America.
Thoms also fought for equal employment opportunities for African Americans within the American Red Cross. Notably, she was one of the first nurses inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame for her advocacy work in civil rights and in Black feminist activism, as reported by New York University School of Global Public Health.
3. Estelle Massey Osborne
Estelle Massey Osborne broke barriers for African American nurses, opening doors to education and leadership roles in the field. When she enrolled in nursing school in St. Louis, only 14 out of 1,300 nursing schools in the U.S accepted Black students, Chamberlain University noted. She later attended Columbia University, making history as the first Black nurse to earn a master’s degree. She made history, again, in 1946, when she joined New York University as an assistant professor, becoming the institution’s first Black faculty member.
As an advocate for nursing education through her work with NACGN and a member of the American Nurses Association (ANA) — a professional organization that represents nurses throughout the United States — she worked to increase the number of Black nurses in hospitals and educational programs. Osborne was deeply committed to ensuring that Black nurses had access to higher education and leadership opportunities.
4. Ionia Rollin Whipper
Ionia Rollin Whipper was a pioneering physician and public health reformer, one of the few African American obstetricians practicing in Washington, D.C., during the early 1900s, NYU University noted. Disturbed by the appalling living conditions faced by impoverished young mothers, she took it upon herself to travel across the South during World War I, educating African American mothers and midwives on public health and hygiene.
Throughout her career, Whipper dedicated herself to teaching and establishing organizations aimed at improving the lives of low-income Black women in Washington, ensuring they had access to better healthcare and resources.
Harriet Tubman is widely celebrated for her courageous role as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, but her impact extended beyond that to healthcare. During the Civil War, Tubman served in multiple capacities for the Union Army—nurse, cook, and even spy—providing care to both Black and White soldiers, as noted by the University of Virginia School of Nursing.
In 1862, she traveled to Beaufort, South Carolina, where she worked as a nurse and teacher to the Gullah people, many of whom had been abandoned by their owners on the Sea Islands. In 1865, she was appointed matron of a hospital at Fort Monroe in Virginia, where she cared for sick and wounded Black soldiers, although she was not compensated for her work.
Tubman relied on her extensive knowledge of herbal remedies, which she learned from her mother, to treat patients with various ailments, including malignant fever and smallpox. She would boil the roots of cranesbill and lilies to create a bitter brew as a treatment for these diseases.
After the war, Tubman continued her healthcare work, advocating for the elderly and disabled, using her skills and compassion to improve the lives of those in need. In 1908, she opened the Harriet Tubman Home for the Elderly, which was established on property near her farm in Auburn, New York, where Tubman continued to care for residents until her passing in 1913.
6. Mabel Keaton Staupers
Mabel Keaton Staupers was an advocate for racial equality and a pioneering nurse who played a significant role in the integration of Black nurses into the military during World War II, Black Past noted. Staupers played a key role in ending the U.S. Army’s policy of excluding African American nurses during World War II.
In 1948, she successfully advocated for the full integration of the American Nurses Association. While working as a private-duty nurse in Washington, D.C., and New York, Staupers also helped establish an inpatient clinic for African Americans with tuberculosis at the Booker T. Washington Sanatorium, where she served as the first superintendent from 1920 to 1922. This clinic was one of the few facilities in New York that allowed Black physicians to treat their patients.
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7. Mary Elizabeth Carnegie
Mary Elizabeth Carnegie was a distinguished nurse, educator, and author who devoted her life to advancing nursing for African Americans. According to the American Association for the History of Nursing, Carnegie pioneered the baccalaureate nursing program at Hampton University, where the archives are now named in her honor. She was inducted into the American Academy of Nursing in 1976 and served as its president from 1978 to 1979. In 1994, she was named a Living Legend by the Academy of Nursing, the highest distinction in the field.
From 1988 to 1999, Dr. Carnegie chaired the American Nurses Association’s Minority Fellowship Program Advisory Committee, advocating for greater inclusion and support for minority nurses. She also served as the dean and professor at Florida A&M University’s School of Nursing from 1945 to 1953. Harcum College notes that the Baltimore native was the first African American nurse to serve on the American State Nursing Association Voting Board.
Additionally, Carnegie served as a consultant and taught at multiple nursing schools including Hampton University, the University of North Carolina, and Pennsylvania State University. She authored several influential publications, including three editions of The Path We Tread: Blacks in Nursing Worldwide, 1854-1994.
Her editorial work was equally impactful, contributing to The American Journal of Nursing from 1953 to 1978, serving as a senior editor for Nursing Outlook, and becoming the first editor of Nursing Research.
8. Bernardine Lacey
Bernardine Lacey made history as one of the first Black nurses to be admitted to Georgetown University, enrolling in their RN to BSN program. She went on to become the founding director of the Western Michigan University Bronson School of Nursing. In 2014, she was honored with the American Academy of Nursing’s prestigious title of “Living Legend.”
According to Western Michigan University, Dr. Lacey earned her nursing diploma from the Gilfoy School of Nursing at Mississippi Baptist Hospital in 1962. She began her career as a staff nurse at Howard University Freedmen’s Hospital, where she advanced to the role of administrative supervisor. Dr. Lacey later earned her BSN from Georgetown University, a master’s degree from Howard University, and a doctorate from Teachers College at Columbia University.
Throughout her career, Dr. Lacey was recognized with numerous citations and awards for her professional and civic contributions. She served on President Bill Clinton’s Task Force on Health Care Reform and the Clinton/Gore Transition Team Task Force on Health Care Delivery. Additionally, she received a $1.4 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to establish and direct a nurse-managed respite center for homeless men.
9. Eddie Bernice Johnson
Source: Anthony Barboza / Getty
Eddie Bernice Johnson is a trailblazing nurse and U.S. congresswoman who built a remarkable career in both healthcare and politics. Starting as a registered nurse, Johnson made history as the first African American female chief psychiatric nurse at the VA Hospital in Dallas. After the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which abolished discriminatory voting practices, she became the first Black woman elected to public office in Dallas, securing a seat in the Texas House of Representatives.
Johnson continued to break barriers throughout her career, becoming the first Black woman appointed as regional director for the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare by President Jimmy Carter. In 1992, she made history again as the first registered nurse elected to Congress, representing Texas’ 30th District. She later became the first African American and the first woman to serve as the ranking member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
Catherine Alicia Georges is a highly respected nurse leader and educator, widely recognized for her outstanding contributions to public health nursing. As the current president of the National Black Nurses Association, she has been a passionate advocate for nursing policy reforms and the enhancement of nursing education.
Georges also serves as a 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 national volunteer president of AARP, the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering individuals aged 50 and older. Additionally, Georges is the president of the National Black Nurses Foundation.
11. Darlene Clark Hine
Source: MANDEL NGAN / Getty
Darlene Clark Hine is a renowned historian and nursing educator whose scholarship centers on the history and contributions of African American nurses. Her work delves into the intersection of race, gender, and nursing, shedding light on the vital role Black nurses have played in shaping the American healthcare system. Hine’s research has been crucial in ensuring that the accomplishments of Black nurses are recognized and preserved for future generations.
As a leading historian of the African American experience, Hine holds the prestigious title of John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, the highest faculty appointment at the institution. In 2014, she was awarded the 2013 National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama for her groundbreaking contributions to the history of Black women and her pioneering study of the intersections of race, class, and gender.
Hine has also served as the president of both the Organization of American Historians (2001-2002) and the Southern Historical Association (2002-2003). In 2006, she was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in recognition of her exceptional scholarly achievements.
12. Beverly Malone
Beverly Malone is a distinguished nurse and advocate whose global impact on the nursing profession has been profound. As the former CEO of the National League for Nursing, Malone championed diversity in nursing leadership and education. Growing up in the segregated South of Kentucky, she worked alongside her great-grandmother, a community healer, which inspired her lifelong passion for healthcare, as reported by BBC News. She learned about herbal medicine and used the special herbs she would pick alongside her great-grandmother to heal people in their community.
Malone went on to break barriers, becoming the first African American general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing. She also served as president of the American Nurses Association twice and held the role of deputy assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—making her the highest-ranking nurse in the U.S. government at that time.
13. Virginia Margaret Alexander
Virginia Margaret Alexander was a pioneering physician and public health researcher who dedicated her career to improving health conditions within the African American community. In 1931, driven by her commitment to uplift marginalized communities, she founded the Aspiranto Health Home in Philadelphia. This innovative facility provided “socialized” healthcare services to low-income African Americans, often at no cost. Throughout her life, Alexander worked tirelessly to enhance medical care for African American women, children, and families, many of whom would otherwise have faced neglect in the healthcare system.
14. Hazel Johnson-Brown
Hazel Johnson-Brown made history as the first African American woman to lead the U.S. Army Nurse Corps as its Chief. Her distinguished military career was marked by significant contributions to shaping the future of military nursing. Johnson-Brown began her nursing training at the Harlem Hospital School of Nursing, an institution specifically for Black women, before returning to her family in Pennsylvania. There, she took a position at the Philadelphia Veterans Association, where she became familiar with the Army Nurse Corps. The travel opportunities and experiences offered by the Corps piqued her interest, leading her to enlist in 1955, just seven years after President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981, which integrated the Army Nurse Corps.
Johnson-Brown’s military journey took her to the 8169th Hospital at Camp Zama in Japan, marking the beginning of her distinguished service. After returning to the U.S. in 1957, she briefly left the Army to resume her work at the Philadelphia Veterans Association and completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Nursing at Villanova University. Simultaneously, she committed to the Army Nurse Corps’ Registered Nurse Student Program. Upon graduation in 1959, Johnson-Brown rejoined active duty at Madigan General Hospital in Washington state (now Madigan Army Medical Center), continuing her service to both the military and her community.
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