Mary Eliza Mahoney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mary Eliza Mahoney
Born	Mary Eliza Mahoney (1845-05-07)May 7, 1845 Dorchester, Massachusetts, US
Died	January 4, 1926(1926-01-04) (aged 80) Boston, Massachusetts, US
Alma mater	New England Hospital for Women and Children
Occupation	Nurse
Known for	First African American woman to complete nurse's training in the U.S.

Mary Eliza Mahoney (born May 7, 1845 – died January 4, 1926) was a truly special person. She was the very first African American woman to become a professionally trained nurse in the United States. In 1879, she made history by being the first African American to graduate from a nursing school in America.

Mary Eliza Mahoney helped create the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) in 1908. She worked with her friends and fellow nurses, Martha Minerva Franklin and Adah Belle Thoms. Their goal was to make nursing education and jobs fair for all African American nurses. They also wanted to improve the lives of these nurses. The NACGN was very important in fighting against unfair treatment in the nursing world. This group later joined with the American Nurses Association in 1951, after more Black women were accepted into medical jobs.

Mary Eliza Mahoney's amazing work has been honored many times. She was added to the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame in 1976. Later, in 1993, she joined the National Women's Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Learning to Be a Nurse

Mary Eliza Mahoney was born in 1845 in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Her parents, Charles and May Jane Mahoney, had once been enslaved people in North Carolina. They moved north before the American Civil War to find a better life with less unfair treatment. Mary was the oldest child.

From a young age, Mary was very religious and went to the People's Baptist Church. When she was 10, she went to the Phillips School in Boston. This was one of the first schools where Black and white students learned together. The school taught important values like kindness and humanity, along with subjects like English and math. This early learning likely sparked her interest in nursing.

Becoming a Nurse Against the Odds

Mary knew she wanted to be a nurse from a young age. She might have seen how important nurses were during the American Civil War. In the 1800s, it was very hard for Black women to get formal nursing training. Many nursing schools, especially in the South, would not accept them. In the North, there were still few chances, but it was a bit easier.

In 1878, when Mary was 33, she was accepted into a 16-month program. This was at the New England Hospital for Women and Children (now the Dimock Community Health Center). Forty students started the program, but only Mary and two white women finished it. The hospital usually looked for students aged 21 to 31. Mary was older, but she had worked at the hospital for 15 years as a cook, maid, and washerwoman. This experience likely helped her get in. She worked almost 16 hours a day during those years!

Mary's Intensive Nursing Training

Mary's training was very demanding. She spent at least a year working in different parts of the hospital. This helped her learn all kinds of nursing skills. Her days were long, from 5:30 AM to 9:30 PM. She attended lectures and learned from doctors. Topics included caring for families, understanding the body, food for the sick, and surgical care.

Students also learned practical skills like taking vital signs and bandaging. In addition, Mary worked for several months as a private nurse. After two weeks, students earned a small weekly wage. Many struggled financially, even giving back 25% of their pay to the hospital. For three-quarters of the program, nurses cared for six patients in different wards. The last two months involved working in new places, like other hospitals or private homes.

In 1879, Mary Eliza Mahoney successfully graduated. She became a registered nurse, making her the first Black person to achieve this in the United States. She was also the first Black person to register with the Nurses Directory in Massachusetts.

Mary's motto was: "Work more and better the coming year than the previous year." This shows her dedication!

Mary Mahoney's Nursing Career

After becoming a registered nurse, Mary Mahoney worked for many years as a private nurse. She became very well-known and respected. She mostly cared for wealthy white families, often helping new mothers and their babies. She worked mainly in New Jersey but sometimes traveled to other states.

Fighting for Respect in Nursing

In those days, African American nurses were often treated like household servants, not like skilled professionals. Mary made it clear that she was a professional nurse. She preferred to eat meals alone in the kitchen, separate from other household staff. This helped show that her job was different and important. Mary lived in her own apartment in Roxbury, where she enjoyed reading and church activities.

Families who hired Mary praised her excellent nursing skills. One patient even said in an article, "I owe my life to that dear soul." Mary's professional approach helped improve how all nurses were seen, especially minority nurses. Her reputation for being skilled and prepared grew quickly. Soon, she received requests from patients all along the East Coast.

Mary Mahoney had a big goal: to change how people viewed minority nurses. She wanted to end all unfair treatment in nursing. As an African American woman, she often experienced discrimination. It was hard for Black nurses in Massachusetts to find work. They were often limited to working in Black homes or in white homes that already had Black household staff. She believed everyone should have the chance to follow their dreams, no matter their race. It is thought that Frederick Douglass, a famous leader against slavery, was distantly related to Mary. This connection may have inspired her fight against unfair treatment.

Founding the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses

In 1896, Mary joined the Nurses Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada (NAAUSC). This group later became the American Nurses Association (ANA). However, in the early 1900s, this group did not welcome African American nurses.

So, in 1908, Mary helped create a new, more welcoming group. She worked with Martha Minerva Franklin and Adah Belle Thoms. This new group was called the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN). The NACGN welcomed everyone and aimed to celebrate the achievements of all nurses. It also worked to stop racial discrimination in nursing.

In 1909, Mary spoke at the NACGN's first big meeting. She talked about the unfairness in nursing education at the time. The NACGN honored Mary with a lifetime membership and made her the organization's chaplain.

Helping Children at an Orphanage

From 1911 to 1912, Mary Mahoney became the director of the Howard Colored Orphan Asylum. This home in Weeksville, Brooklyn cared for Black children and elderly people. It was run by African Americans. Here, Mary Eliza Mahoney finished her career, helping people and using her knowledge however she knew best.

In 1954, a nursing professor named Mary Ella Chayer wrote about Mary Mahoney. She said Mary was "an outstanding student... an expert and tender practitioner, an exemplary citizen, and an untiring worker." She called Mary "a sound builder for the future."

Later Years and Legacy

Even after retiring, Mary Mahoney continued to care deeply about fairness for women. She strongly supported women's suffrage, which meant women's right to vote. She also worked hard to advance civil rights in the United States. In 1920, when women finally gained the right to vote, Mary was 76 years old. She was one of the first women in Boston to register.

In 1923, Mary was diagnosed with breast cancer. She bravely fought the illness for three years. Mary Mahoney passed away on January 4, 1926, at the age of 80. She died at the New England Hospital for Women and Children, the same place where she had trained to be a nurse. Her grave is in Woodlawn Cemetery in Everett, Massachusetts. Years later, in 1968, a monument was created for her. This was thanks to Helen Sullivan Miller and Mabel Staupers, who were also honored with the Mary E. Mahoney Medal.

Awards and Special Honors

Mary Eliza Mahoney's amazing work has been recognized with many honors:

• The NACGN created the Mary Mahoney Award in 1936. This award celebrates nurses who make big contributions to equal opportunities for minority groups in nursing. The American Nurses Association continues to give out this award every two years.
• Mary Mahoney was inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame in 1976.
• She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993.
• The Mary Mahoney Memorial Health Center in Oklahoma City is named after her.
• Indiana University Northwest has a Mary Mahoney Lecture Series.
• In April 2006, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution (H.CON.RES.386) honoring Mary Eliza Mahoney as America's first professionally trained African American nurse.
• The Mary Eliza Mahoney Dialysis Center is a stop on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail.

See also

In Spanish: Mary Eliza Mahoney para niños