African American Nursing In The 1970's

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While it took many years for nursing and society to become more accepting and appreciative of nurses of color, it was a big step from the 1800’s. Nurses of color were now accepted and sometimes elected over Caucasian nurses, showing that they were just as competent and qualified to have presidential positions. Therefore, they deserve to be in higher and important positions that will contribute to nursing history. An important factor that helped with the push for acceptance was the Civil Rights Movement that occurred prior to the 1970’s. It began with “desegregation and discrimination in employment during the 1940’s” (Clark, 1966). Afterwards, African Americans “had succeeded in eliminating segregation in the armed forces around the time …show more content…
The exclusion of their contributions in nursing history was disrespectful and was a result of racial inequality. The master narrative displayed the idea that nursing only involved Caucasian women, which may have influenced who was interested in nursing. Someone that was African American and passionate about nursing may have been reluctant to enter the field in the 1800’s and early 1900’s, as they did not see themselves fitting into the stereotypical representation of nurses. While this discussion dissected the perception, acceptance and remembrance of African American nurses from the 1800’s to the present, there are also nurses of many different races that have been forgotten at some point in history. It is important to understand that nursing involves many different types of people and that who is commemorated in nursing history does not always provide an accurate representation of the full truth. In today’s world, nursing is not represented by a specific race or person, but by nurses’ actions as a whole. We focus on them as healthcare professionals and commemorate all nurses for their scientific and therapeutic