5 Black Female Nurses Who Changed the Profession
Black female nurses are an essential part of the past, present, and future of nursing. Supporting and uplifting Black women in nursing is critical, not only to right historical imbalances but also to meet the needs of a healthcare system that serves everyone.
Diversity in nursing directly impacts the quality of patient care. But while nearly 14% of the American population is Black, only 6.3% of nurses are. Racism in medicine remains a pervasive problem today, affecting patients and providers. As populations grow increasingly diverse, so must the nursing workforce and its leaders.
You’ve likely heard of Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton, but Black female nurses have helped evolve the profession as well, often without the recognition they deserve. Let’s explore five Black female nurses who have made an impact on the history of nursing.
5 Black Female Nurses to Know About
Mary Seacole (1805–1881)
Image source: National Geographic
A Jamaican-born nurse and businesswoman, Mary Seacole traveled to the Crimean War front independently after her offer to join Florence Nightingale’s nursing team was rejected, likely due to racial bias. Undeterred, Seacole established her own ward near the battlefield, where she treated wounded soldiers, offered comfort through meals, and provided rest amidst the chaos.
Seacole’s approach combined traditional herbal remedies learned from her mother, known as a “doctress”, with emerging Western medical techniques she picked up in Jamaica, Cuba, and England. Her efforts eased physical suffering and lifted morale, earning her the nickname “Mother Seacole” from those she cared for.
Despite facing financial hardship after the war, Seacole wrote a best-selling autobiography, Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands, which was the first memoir by a Black woman in Britain. She was later celebrated through fundraising efforts led by military personnel and officials, and in 2016, a statue was unveiled in her honor at St Thomas’ Hospital in London.
Seacole’s legacy shows that nursing extends beyond institutional boundaries, and that compassion, adaptability, and ingenuity are essential qualities of patient-focused care.
Harriet Tubman (1822–1913)
Image source: Britannica
Best known for her heroic efforts guiding enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman also served as a nurse during the Civil War. Between 1862 and 1865, Tubman lived in Union-occupied Port Royal, South Carolina, where she provided medical care to newly freed people and wounded Black soldiers. With limited supplies, she relied on traditional herbal medicine, using remedies like water lily and cranesbill to treat dysentery.
Tubman also worked as a scout and spy for the Union Army. In one of her most significant missions, she helped plan and lead the Combahee Ferry Raid in June 1863 alongside Colonel James Montgomery. Tubman navigated Union boats through mine-filled waters and helped rescue more than 750 enslaved people. Her bravery and tactical knowledge helped the mission succeed and made her the first American woman to lead a military raid.
After the war, Tubman became a women’s voting advocate and opened a nursing facility of her own, where she died in 1913. Tubman’s work as a nurse, healer, and leader shows that nursing is more than clinical care and can also be a powerful tool for justice and liberation.
Mary Eliza Mahoney (1845–1926)
Image source: National Women’s History Museum
The first Black female nurse to be formally trained and licensed in the U.S. was Mary Eliza Mahoney from Boston, Massachusetts. Educated at one of the first integrated schools in the country, Mahoney began working at the New England Hospital for Women and Children in her teens and attended nursing school there. Of 42 students who entered the demanding program, Mahoney was one of only four to graduate.
During her clinical career, Mahoney was known for her patient, efficient bedside manner, serving patients and their families in private duty nursing. While nurses in these settings were often treated as household staff at the time, Mahoney demanded respect by eating meals with her patients rather than being sequestered in servants’ quarters.
Mahoney was a pioneer and an advocate for equity in nursing and patient care. In 1908, she cofounded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN), a stepping stone toward the integration of Black female nurses into nursing education and practice. Later in her career, she became the director of the Howard Colored Orphanage Asylum in Long Island. In 1920, she was one of the first women to vote in Boston.
Mahoney’s impact lives on in awards and memorials dedicated to her incredible career. The American Nurses Association awards the Mary Mahoney Award to nurses who promote integration in the profession. She is also in the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Her life’s work reminds us that professional excellence and social justice are inseparable in nursing’s journey forward.
Estelle Massey Osborne (1901–1981)
Image source: Texas State Historical Association
Estelle Massey Osborne broke barriers at every step of her career. Osborne was the first Black nurse to receive a Julius Rosenwald scholarship and attended one of only 14 nursing schools open to Black students in the 1920s. Later, she attended Columbia University, becoming the first Black nurse to receive a master’s degree.
After graduating, Osborne worked as a research nurse, investigating strategies to address rural health disparities in Southern Black communities. Later, she would become president of the NACGN, and she lobbied the ANA to integrate. By the end of her tenure there, she had more than quadrupled NACGN’s memberships.
Osborne became superintendent of the Homer G. Phillips Hospital, a unique city-operated institution that exclusively served Black patients. She was the first Black woman to direct the nursing school there and was integral to expanding nursing education for Black students. Alongside her ally Eleanor Roosevelt, Osborne influenced the U.S. Navy to lift its color ban in 1945.
Osborne’s career shows both dedication and bravery. She lifted patients up, questioned the status quo, and led with tenacity. Today, she is a member of the ANA Hall of Fame and has several nursing scholarships in her honor.
Eddie Bernice Johnson (1934–2023)
Image source: Texas Christian University
Eddie Bernice Johnson began her career as a registered nurse in 1955 and served as the first Black Chief Psychiatric Nurse at the Dallas VA hospital. In 1972, she broke barriers as the first Black woman elected to the Texas House of Representatives and later served in the Texas Senate. Under President Carter, she became the first African American woman regional director of Health, Education, and Welfare.
In 1993, Johnson made history again, becoming the first registered nurse elected to Congress. She represented Texas’s 30th District for 30 years. During her tenure, she chaired the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and led the Congressional Black Caucus, championing legislation on STEM education and climate change. She sponsored over 300 new laws during this time.
Johnson retired in 2023 and passed away later that year, leaving a lasting legacy at the intersection of healthcare, public service, and social justice. President Biden honored her as “an icon and mentor to generations of public servants, through whom her legacy of resilience and purpose will endure.”
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