February is Black History Month. During Black History Month we celebrate achievements by African Americans and take the time to recognize their central role in U.S. history. In addition to honoring notable Black Grand Midwives and early nurse practitioners here on our blog, we will be recognizing them on our social media channels throughout the month.
Maude Callen was a nurse-midwife who served in the Lowcountry of South Carolina for more than 60 years. In addition to delivering over 600 babies, she also instructed others on midwifery and cared for thousands of patients. She gained national attention in Life magazine’s photo essay, "Nurse Midwife", published in 1951.
Mary Eliza Mahoney was the first Black licensed nurse in the United States. Born in 1845 to formerly enslaved people who moved to Boston from North Carolina, she fought discriminatory practices in the medical profession and co-founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses in 1908.
Onnie Lee Logan’s autobiography, "Motherwit: An Alabama Midwife's Story", became an instant classic when it was published in 1989, thanks to her vivid accounts, distinctive vernacular, and unflinching optimism in the face of poverty and racism.
Jessie Sleet Scales became America’s first Black public health nurse in 1900. She is known for her pioneering work in the Black community of New York City, where she cared for patients suffering from tuberculosis and exposed the socio-economic conditions that led Black people to die from this preventable disease in alarming numbers.
Mary Francis Hill Coley was a midwife from Albany, Georgia who delivered over 3,000 babies during her career. In the 1952 documentary, “All My Babies,” Coley demonstrated how a well-trained midwife could deliver healthy babies even in the poorest conditions while acting as an intermediary between patients, nurses, physicians, and members of the local community.
Adah Belle Samuels Thoms was a prominent Black nurse in the early 20th century and a pioneer for equal opportunity for nurses of all races. She co-founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, serving as President from 1916 to 1923, and fought for Black nurses in the American Red Cross and the U.S. Army Nurse Corps.
Margaret Charles Smith attended nearly 3,000 births during her 30-year career as a midwife in rural Alabama. She never lost a mother and rarely lost a baby. In 1996, at the age of 91, she co-authored the book, “Listen to Me Good: The Life Story of an Alabama Midwife.”
Martha Minerva Franklin co-founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses in 1908 and was unanimously elected as the organization's first president. She became the first person to actively campaign for racial equality in nursing and served as the catalyst for collective action.
Katie Hall Underwood was born in 1884, the daughter of formerly enslaved people, on Sapelo Island - the last intact Gullah-Geechee community on the Georgia coast. Underwood delivered nearly everyone born on the island between 1920 and 1968. Even today, they are affectionately called "Katie's babies".
Frontier Nursing University recognized the need to increase diversity within the nursing and nurse-midwifery professions, and in 2010, set out to increase enrollment of underrepresented students. FNU’s student of color population has increased from 9% to 30.1%. Learn more about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at FNU.
Justin C. Daily, BSN, RN, has ten years of experience in nursing. At the start of his nursing career, Justin worked as a floor nurse on the oncology floor at St. Francis. He then spent two years as the Director of Nursing in a small rural Kansas hospital before returning to St. Francis and the oncology unit. He has been in his current position as the Chemo Nurse Educator for the past four years. He earned an Associate in Nurse from Hutchinson Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Bethel College.
Brandy Jackson serves as the Director of Undergraduate Nursing Programs and Assistant Educator at Wichita State University and Co-Director of Access in Nursing. Brandy is a seasoned educator with over 15 years of experience. Before entering academia, Brandy served in Hospital-based leadership and Critical Care Staff nurse roles. Brandy is passionate about equity in nursing education with a focus on individuals with disabilities. Her current research interests include accommodations of nursing students with disabilities in clinical learning environments and breaking down barriers for historically unrepresented individuals to enter the nursing profession. Brandy is also actively engaged in Interprofessional Education development, creating IPE opportunities for faculty and students at Wichita State. Brandy is an active member of Wichita Women for Good and Soroptimist, with the goal to empower women and girls. Brandy is a TeamSTEPPS master trainer. She received the DASIY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty in 2019 at Wichita State University. 
Dr. Sabrina Ali Jamal-Eddine is an Arab-disabled queer woman of color with a PhD in Nursing and an interdisciplinary certificate in Disability Ethics from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Dr. Jamal-Eddine’s doctoral research explored spoken word poetry as a form of critical narrative pedagogy to educate nursing students about disability, ableism, and disability justice. Dr. Jamal-Eddine now serves as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in UIC’s Department of Disability and Human Development and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (NOND). During her doctoral program, Sabrina served as a Summer Fellow at a residential National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute at Arizona State University (2023), a summer fellow at Andrew W. Mellon’s National Humanities Without Walls program at University of Michigan (2022), a Summer Research Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Othering & Belonging Institute (2021), and an Illinois Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) trainee (2019-2020).
Vanessa Cameron works for Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nursing Education & Professional Development. She is also attending George Washington University and progressing towards a PhD in Nursing with an emphasis on ableism in nursing. After becoming disabled in April 2021, Vanessa’s worldview and perspective changed, and a recognition of the ableism present within healthcare and within the culture of nursing was apparent. She has been working since that time to provide educational foundations for nurses about disability and ableism, provide support for fellow disabled nursing colleagues, and advocate for the disabled community within healthcare settings to reduce disparities.
Dr. Lucinda Canty is a certified nurse-midwife, Associate Professor of Nursing, and Director of the Seedworks Health Equity in Nursing Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Columbia University, a master’s degree from Yale University, specializing in nurse-midwifery, and a PhD from the University of Connecticut. Dr. Canty has provided reproductive health care for over 29 years. Her research interests include the prevention of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, reducing racial and ethnic health disparities in reproductive health, promoting diversity in nursing, and eliminating racism in nursing and midwifery.
Dr. Lisa Meeks is a distinguished scholar and leader whose unwavering commitment to inclusivity and excellence has significantly influenced the landscape of health professions education and accessibility. She is the founder and executive director of the DocsWithDisabilities Initiative and holds appointments as an Associate Professor in the Departments of Learning Health Sciences and Family Medicine at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Nikia Grayson, DNP, MSN, MPH, MA, CNM, FNP-C, FACNM (she/her) is a trailblazing force in reproductive justice, blending her expertise as a public health activist, anthropologist, and family nurse-midwife to champion the rights and health of underserved communities. Graduating with distinction from Howard University, Nikia holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in public health. Her academic journey also led her to the University of Memphis, where she earned a master’s in medical anthropology, and the University of Tennessee, where she achieved both a master’s in nursing and a doctorate in nursing practice. Complementing her extensive education, she completed a post-master’s certificate in midwifery at Frontier Nursing University.
Dr. Tia Brown McNair is the Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, DC. She oversees both funded projects and AAC&U’s continuing programs on equity, inclusive excellence, high-impact practices, and student success. McNair directs AAC&U’s Summer Institutes on High-Impact Practices and Student Success, and TRHT Campus Centers and serves as the project director for several AAC&U initiatives, including the development of a TRHT-focused campus climate toolkit. She is the lead author of From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education (January 2020) and Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success (July 2016 and August 2022 Second edition).
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