Mahoney earned numerous accolades while she was alive and even more since her passing. In 1936, the NACGN founded the Mary Mahoney Award in honor of its founder. The award is given to nurses who embody Mahoney’s values and promote integration within the sector. Today, the ANA continues to give out the Mahoney Award and in 1976, the ANA inducted the late legend into their Hall of Fame. In 1993, she was inducted again, this time into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
We remember the work of Mary Eliza Mahoney and thank her for her immense contributions to the field of nursing.
Mary Mahoney, American nurse, the first African-American woman to complete the course of professional study in nursing. Mahoney apparently worked as a maid at the New England Hospital for Women and Children in Boston before being admitted to its nursing school in 1878. She received her diploma in
By Green Shoot Media
| 10:00 a.m.
Throughout history, nurses have assisted with innovations in the health-care system and saved lives during their careers.
While Florence Nightingale is perhaps the most famous medical worker in the role, many professionals made a difference and advanced the position. Celebrate the nursing field by learning about some of the most influential people in the industry’s past.
Dorothea Dix
Dorothea Dix (Green Shoot Media photo)
Dorothea Lynde Dix served as an advocate to bring a medical spotlight to mental health. According to the American Public Health Association, Dix is credited with playing an instrumental role in the founding or expansion of more than 30 hospitals to treat the mentally ill.
Mary Eliza Mahoney, America’s First Black Nurse
It all started with the fight for equality for African Americans. Mary Eliza Mahoney was born to a family of freed slaves in the late 1840s. The scars of racism ran deep in her family. She eventually pursued a degree in professional nursing to help support the needs of her community. Black people were either outright denied medical care in the South or lacked access to higher quality care throughout the U.S.
Mahoney spent her entire life working to undo these wrongs. Her story speaks to the compassion and integrity of nurses everywhere.