Mary Eliza Mahoney: An African American Nursing Pioneer

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Mary Eliza Mahoney was an African-American nursing pioneer who was known for her outstanding personal career, in addition to her worthy contributions to both local and national professional organizations. She became an inspiration to both nurses, especially generations of black nurses who, against fearful odds, struggled for inclusion in the nursing mainstream, and patients with her calm efficiency and untiring compassion.

Mary Mahoney was born free on May 7th 1845 in Durchester, Massachussetts after her parents moved from the slave state of North Carolina. She was the eldest of three children, and began showing interest in a nursing career as a teenager. She began working as an untrained practical nurse but soon found that she needed to make more money and began working at the New England Hospital for Women and Children at the age of 18 as a maid, cook, laundress and occasionally as a nurse 's assistant.

In 1878, at age 33, Mary was accepted …show more content…

She was one of the first women to register to vote in Boston in 1920, at the age of 76. Mary contracted breast cancer in 1923, and died after a 3 year-long battle January 7th 1926.

The NACGN established the prestigious Mary Mahoney Award in 1936,in honour of her respected life, to recognize excellence and raise the status of black nurses. The award was continued when NACGN merged with the ANA in 1951. There is also a Mary Mahoney Medal given annually for excellence in nursing. In 1976, she was chosen to be in the Nursing Hall of Fame and in 1993, the National Women 's Hall of Fame.

Mary Mahoney fought not only for the women of colour and for equal opportunities but also for educational and professional rights of the minority. She left a legacy that is just as vital today as it was when she was alive, and will continue to be just as vital in the future of

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