Dr. Mary Elizabeth Carnegie: Author and Legendary Black Nurse
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Carnegie
The history of black nurses can be traced back to the days of enslavement. Although they were not formally trained, these women cared for the sick in the families who owned them. Dr. Mary Elizabeth Carnegie researched the lives of early black nurses. She always championed equality in the nursing profession. Mary Carnegie waged her own battle for fair treatment in the nursing profession. She graduated from the Lincoln school of nursing in 1934. It was one of the few schools in New York City that accepted black students. It was difficult for black nurses to find employment after graduation because only four out of the two hundred hospitals at the time would hire them. She eventually found a job as a staff nurse at Lincoln Hospital. She immediately addressed the practice of the doctors and nurses calling black nurses by their first names, while referring to white nurses as Miss. She was always outspoken on these issues. Carnegie wanted to serve her county during World War II. She applied to the Navy Nurse Corp. However, her application was rejected with the explanation that black nurses were not being assigned to the Navy. It was not until 1945 that black nurses were accepted into the United States Navy.
The fight to be included in the nursing profession encouraged Mary Carnegie to research and write about the history of black nurses in America. She wrote a book entitled: “The Path We Tread, Blacks in Nursing from 1854-1990.” She focused on three nurses in the Civil War: Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Susie King Taylor. She also wrote about the service of a woman named Namahyoke Sockum Curtis, who served during Spanish American War in 1898. Her descriptions of these women brought light to their contributions during difficult periods of American history. The service of these women is recorded in the National Archives of Washington, D.C. Their work was often on the battlefield. Carnegie’s book told the story of the following women in the service of their country.
Sojourner Truth, born a slave, was freed in 1827. She was known for her work as an abolitionist, women’s rights activist, and a nurse during the Civil War. She helped newly freed slaves in Washington who were sick, homeless, and in need of jobs. She was a nurse/counselor in the Washington area for the Freedmen’s Relief Association during Reconstruction. Her work was sanctioned by President Abraham Lincoln. She often visited President Lincoln in the White House.
Harriet Tubman was known for helping hundreds of slaves to freedom. She also worked as a spy, scout and nurse for the Union Army. She served as a nurse in the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina, caring for the sick and wounded. Carnegie in her book noted that she did this “without regard to color.” Tubman was awarded a pension from the government, but it was 30 years before she finally received it, after the war ended by an act of Congress.
Susie King Taylor was born into slavery near Savannah, Georgia in 1848. She served as a teacher and a nurse in the Civil War. She was a volunteer nurse. She met Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. Taylor often traveled with her on her rounds to treat wounded soldiers. In 1902, she published her own book entitled: “Reminiscences of My Life in Camp.” She served the 33rd Regiment of the United States Colored Troops for more than three years, along with her husband Edward King, a sergeant in the regiment. Susie King Taylor was one of a few Black nurses at this time who could read. She attended secret schools in the south to learn how to read and write.
Mary Carnegie also recorded the story of Namahyoke Sockum Curtis who lived from 1861 to 1935. Namahyoke was of African and Indian descent. She recruited 32 black nurses to serve with the U.S. Army during the Spanish American War in 1898. They went to Santiago, Cuba in July and August of that year. They cared for American soldiers affected by typhoid and yellow fever. It was erroneously believed by the white medical community that nurses of color were immune to these diseases. Unfortunately, two of the nurses died from yellow fever and typhoid. Namahyoke has been honored for her work in nursing. She is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Carnegie left a great legacy as an outstanding nurse, historian, and author. She has been honored numerous times for her dedication to the field of nursing. She has excelled in nursing education, nursing administration, research, and professional presentations. She died on February 20, 2008. Her commitment as an agent for change is evident in the following words when she said, “If I have done anything by taking a stand for racial equality in the nursing profession and making sure that black nurses are in the literature, I feel that I have fulfilled my time for being in this world.”