Avenger of the Week | Mary Eliza Mahoney

photo credit: Montclair Film [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

In 1878, 33-year-old Mary Eliza Mahoney, along with 41 other students, enrolled in the New England Hospital for Women and Children’s professional graduate school for nursing, a hospital with an all-women staff of physicians that provided healthcare exclusively to women and children. 16 months later, Mahoney became one of only four students who completed the rigorous program, making her the first African American to earn a professional nursing license in the United States. After graduation, Mahoney worked as a private nurse to wealthy white families, and later she co-founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN). Mahoney continued to be a champion for women’s rights after retirement, becoming one of the first women to register to vote after the 19th amendment was ratified.

👩🏾‍⚕️ #AvengerOfTheWeek Mary Eliza Mahoney became the first African American to become a licensed nurse in the US in 1879. She also co-founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses. #GenderAvenger https://www.genderavenger.com/blog/avenger-of-the-week-mary-eliza-mahoney