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Abstract
Experiences of Black Female Nurses in Connecticut, from 1900-1970, delves into the historical encounters and undertakings of black women in the nursing profession through primary source and secondary research. Archives, manuscripts, government documents, and individual accounts in relation to the nursing field were analyzed to give a fuller scope of nursing in Connecticut. These resources show the daily impact of nursing and the broader influence these individuals had with the nursing organizations they created, such as the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, which influenced America’s healthcare system. Further, individual black nursing experiences were uncovered through research to bring these voices to the historical record. Historically, black nurses have been left out of the narrative, which does not give a complete account of the nursing profession. The findings in this thesis indicate that black women nurses were vital to the development and professionalization of nursing. Their efforts include, but are not limited to, establishing nursing’s place in American society, implementing proper training and educational programs for nursing candidates, and evolving the profession through the ups and downs of the seventy years examined.
