She was meticulous and would always set very high standards for her team. She was the right employee to promote into a leadership role as my Director of Nursing. As I reflect, I knew that Liz had a lot of potential, and I also knew that she had a lot of drive. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today.” I had lost contact with Liz for several years and until I received her email during Black History Month, I must admit, I was not thinking of this seed that she affirmed I had planted and whose growth I had influenced. Mahoney, being the only African American woman in the group of 4, pierced the veil of influence and once again, the mold of the nursing industry which was predominantly white at the time, was broken.Įrnest Hemingway said, “Today is the only one day in all the days that will ever be. There were 4 students in a group of 42 who succeeded in the rigorous program at the then New England Hospital for Women and Children, now known as the Dimock Community Health Center. Fortunately, there are many stories to tell of such women, and there will continue to be, for futures to come.Īfter reading my dear friend’s email, I thought of Mary Eliza Mahoney who graduated in 1879 as a Registered Nurse and became the first black woman to do so in the United States. For years, the nursing and medical industries were predominantly led by men and that changed because one woman believed in herself and succeeded in breaking the mold. Our actions can influence the lives of others and they can even change the course of history itself. Liz’s email propelled me to write this monthly article commemorating Women’s History Month because quite often we don’t realize how we’ve touched each other in propitious ways. My spirit is filled with GRATITUDE for our life encounter and your belief in me. With a 4.5-star Medicare certified Home Health Care skilled facility - Blue Dove Home Health Agency, I am at a crossroads and hoping that I have the strength to move the purpose forward against all odds in this hostile climate! This company is my WORK because it has given me a purpose driven life to rise above the depression caused by the early demise of Mr. That whole experience gave me the confidence to believe. Furthermore, you saw the vision in me that I had not seen in myself by making me DON. My spirit is filled with gratitude for the opportunity that you gave me and the encounter between us that has pivoted me towards this God-given purpose! If I were to die today, I would say there are no words to express my gratitude towards the day you called me and hired me at JBJ. With the monumental achievement of this small company, I have always silently invoked my strength from your years of mentoring. They strived to protect the minority and also to ensure that racial discrimination in the nursing field was abolished.This year during Black History Month, I received an email from Elizabeth Tabod, a very smart and proud Cameroonian Registered Nurse whom I had the privilege to mentor during my years of practice as a nurse leader. Through this association, Mary Eliza Mahoney and its members pushed for equality in the society. Therefore, in 1908, she co-founded National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses- NACGN. For that reason, Mahoney thought of establishing a new nursing association that was friendlier. A disadvantage here to the African-Americans was that NAAUSC was not welcoming to African-American nurses. This organization was later changed to American Nurses Association – ANA. This was a home that took care of colored children that had initially been slaves.Įarlier on, in 1896, she had joined the Nurses Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada- NAAUSC as one of its original members. In 1911, Mahoney took the role of a director to Howard Orphan Asylum situated in Kings Park in the New York City. In spite of this, she upheld her humility and only ate in the servants’ quarter. Consequently, certain families could insist that Mahoney sit down and have dinner with them. Those that got the chance to be served by her praised her for her nursing proficiency. She mainly worked for rich white individuals. With her achievement as a registered nurse, Mary Eliza Mahoney began working as a private nurse which earned her reputation from all over.
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