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22-552: In 1906, Connecticut nurse Martha Minerva Franklin surveyed African American nurses to see what challenges they faced as a group. Franklin determined that the prestigious American Nurses Association was technically open to African American members, but many State Nurses Associations refused to admit black members. State-level membership was required to join the American Nurses Association and thus, many qualified African American nurses were barred from full membership in

44-658: A degree. Franklin retired and moved to New Haven. She died at the age of 98 in 1968. She is buried in Walnut Grove Cemetery . In 1976, Franklin was inducted into the ANA's Nursing Hall of Fame. In 2009, she was inducted into the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame . Journal of Negro Education The Journal of Negro Education is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal published by Howard University , established in 1932 by Charles Henry Thompson , who

66-675: A national jobs registry to help black nurses find employment and established the association's first headquarters. During World War I, Thoms campaigned for the American Red Cross to admit African American nurses. This was important because the American Red Cross was the only avenue into the United States Army Nurse Corps . According to Jane Delano , chair of the National Committee on Red Cross Nursing service,

88-599: A nondiscrimination policy and by 1949 that number was up to 354. In 1949, the members of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses unanimously voted to accept a proposed merger with the American Nurses Association. NACGN membership voted the NACGN out of existence in 1951. Martha Minerva Franklin Martha Minerva Franklin (October 29, 1870 – September 26, 1968) was an African-American nurse, one of

110-616: The National Medical Association and articles written by nurses were published in the National Medical Association 's journal. In 1951, the NACGN merged with the American Nurses Association. Franklin moved to New York City in 1928 and graduated from a six-month postgraduate course at Lincoln Hospital . Through this course, Franklin became a registered nurse and began working as a public school nurse. Between 1928 and 1930, Franklin studied public health nursing at Teachers College, Columbia University , but did not complete

132-732: The War Department announced that there would be no black nurses called to serve the United States Army Nurse Corps . Staupers and other activists petitioned for the rights of black nurses and served on the NACGN Special Defense Committee. In January 1941, the Army announced a quota of fifty-six black nurses to work at the black military installations at Camp Livingston and Fort Bragg . Staupers continued to campaign for greater inclusion, meeting with Eleanor Roosevelt , white nursing groups, military leaders, and black advocates. By 1943,

154-505: The Women's Hospital Training School for Nurses. She graduated in December 1897 and as the only African American member of her graduating class. After graduation, Franklin returned to Meriden and began doing in-home private duty nursing. In the early 1900s, Franklin moved to New Haven and became involved in the city's black social organizations. In the fall of 1906, Franklin began to study

176-734: The Red Cross was willing to admit black nurses, but the Surgeon General was not. Nurse Frances Reed Elliot was enrolled in the Red Cross in July 1918 but was not immediately assigned. It took the 1918 flu pandemic and the resulting nurse shortage to finally integrate the United States Army Nurse Corps. In December 1918, eighteen African American nurses were appointed to the United States Army Nurse Corps. They were assigned to Camp Grant and Camp Sherman with full rank and pay. Although

198-430: The collection and facilitate the dissemination of facts about the education of Black people; second, to present discussions involving critical appraisals of the proposals and practices relating to the education of Black people; and third, to stimulate and sponsor investigations of issues incident to the education of Black people. Notable contributors in the fields of education, sociology, history, and other disciplines over

220-520: The end of World War II there were only 2.9 percent black nurses (compared to blacks making up 10 percent of the population) or eight thousand registered black nurses in the United States. During the civil rights movement in the late 1940s and 1950s more nursing schools were accepting black applicants. Estelle Osborne wrote in the Journal of Negro Education that in 1941, 29 United States nursing schools had

242-416: The first paid executive secretary of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses in 1934. Stauper's most important accomplishment was the further integration of US military nurses. In 1946, Stauper resigned and her replacement Alma Vessels John was hired. She would shepherd the organization until its dissolution in 1951. From 1934 to 1939, Estelle Massey Osborne was NACGN's president. Initially,

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264-599: The first people to campaign for racial equality in nursing. Franklin was born in New Milford, Connecticut , to Mary E. Gauson and Henry J. Franklin. She had a sister, Florence, and a brother, William. Her father had been a soldier in the Union Army during the Civil War . Franklin graduated from Meriden Public High School in 1890 as one of few African American members of her class. In 1895, she moved to Philadelphia to attend

286-492: The national association. In 1908, fifty-two nurses, including Martha Minerva Franklin and Adah Belle Samuels Thoms , met in New York City and decided to start the NACGN. Franklin was elected president at the first meeting. As they left the meeting they had three main goals: "to advance the standards and best interests of trained nurses, to break down discrimination in the nursing profession, and to develop leadership within

308-516: The number of black nurses serving in the armed forces had increased from 56 to 160. By the end of the war, the War Department was drafting all qualified nurses, regardless of race. In 1943, Congresswoman Frances P. Bolton (R-OH) introduced a bill to create government grants for nursing programs in order to increase the number of trained nurses available during World War II. The Bolton Act (1943) forbid discrimination and brought about an increase in

330-471: The number of black nursing students in the country. Professional organizations slowly began to increase membership opportunities for black women. In 1942, the National League of Nursing Education changed its by-laws to allow applicants barred from state leagues to directly join the national organization. Follow the national change, several state Leagues of Nursing Education began admitting black members. By

352-482: The patients were not segregated and the nurses were assigned to all services, the African American nurses were housed separately from the white nurses. Carrie E. Bullock served as NACGN president from 1927 to 1930. Bullock worked to increase communication and community among black nurses. In 1928, she founded and edited the NACGN's official newsletter, The National News Bulletin . Mabel Keaton Staupers became

374-438: The ranks of black nurses." To do this, the acting presidents of the NACGN not only actively fought for integration by other means but also attended the annual ANA conference to bring awareness to the topic. In 1912, the NACGN had 125 members. By 1920, that number has risen to 500. Adah Belle Samuels Thoms served as the first treasurer of the NACGN before taking over the presidency of the organization in 1916. Thoms established

396-439: The status of black nurses. She mailed more than 500 letters to black nurses, superintendents of nursing schools, and nursing organizations in order to gain a wider perspective on the experiences of African American nurses. Franklin determined that the prestigious American Nurses Association was technically open to African American members, but many State Nurses Associations refused to admit black members. State-level membership

418-509: The years have included Horace Mann Bond , Ralph J. Bunche , Kenneth B. Clark , James P. Comer , W. E. B. Du Bois , E. Franklin Frazier , Edmund W. Gordon , Robert J. Havighurst , Dorothy Height , Dwight O. W. Holmes , Charles S. Johnson , Alain Locke , Thurgood Marshall , Benjamin E. Mays , James Nabrit, Jr. , Dorothy B. Porter , and others. This African American–related article

440-449: Was elected president. Three goals were set out in the initial meeting of the NACGN: improve training for black nurses, reduce racial inequality in the nursing profession, and cultivate leaders from within the black nursing community. The NACGN received early support from the National Medical Association , a black physicians' group. The NACGN was invited to hold their meetings in tandem with

462-452: Was its editor-in-chief for more than 30 years. The journal's aim is to identify and define the problems that characterize the education of Black people in the United States and elsewhere, to provide a forum for analysis and solutions, and to serve as a vehicle for sharing statistics and research on a national basis. Ivory A. Toldson has served as editor-in-chief since 2008. The journal listed three aims as its mission: first, to stimulate

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484-592: Was required to join the American Nurses Association and thus, many qualified African American nurses were barred from full membership in the national association. Franklin sent 1,500 letters to black nurses, suggesting a national meeting. Adah Belle Samuel Thoms hosted the meeting at the Lincoln Hospital and Home in New York City. Fifty-two nurses attended this first meeting to form the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) and Franklin

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