St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1954-05-14

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is possible for nurses to be rec
ognized for professional quail
fications rather than by race first.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pa,
Miss Mari. herself. has been an
example of progress for Negro
nurses. A graduate of the Har-
lem hospital School of Nursing in
New York in 1941 with a BIS. and
MA. degree from Teachers col
lege of Columbia university, Miss
MARI served as an instructor in
nursing education at Teachers
college 1s44-49 and as supervisor
of nursing education. New York
State education department, 1851
SO before taking her present post
in February, 1858.
Situation Facing Negro Nurses
She listed the following in
equities facing Negro nurses:
l. They seldom (a) are employ
ed by agencies using nursing per-
sonnet for positions above staff
nurse level such as supervisors,
teachers, administrators, regard
less of their qualifications. OBJ at
tend a program, meeting, work
shop or institute sponsored by pro-
fessional nursing organizations at
which they hear or see a racial
minority group person serve as
guest speaker or a resource per-
son available to the nurses.
(cl Rarely are they nominated
or elected to district, state or ma
tional nursing association offices,
or appointed to committees of
these groups. Id seldom benefit
from services of professional reg
istries on same basis and prin-
ciples governing the listing of
white nurses.
(e) Have little evidence that &C
tual problems they face are in
vestigated in northern commune
ties where too often district and
state association say they have no
intergroup relations problems.
tf) Negro nurses hardly ever
are assigned to white patients in
hospitals, even in the North. They
always get the excuse white pa
tents might object. tg) They sal
dom are accepted by graduate
schools Of nursing in taa South.
Problems faced by Negro stu
dent nurses were listed by Miss
MARI as follows:
/. Schools which say they ad-
NIT Negro students often do not
make their policies clear to guild
ance counsellors in high schools
and colleges or to the Negro pop
ulation in the community.
2. Negro students often will not
apply to the school of their choice.
They usually select schools which
traditionally have accepted them.
8. Negro parents often guide their
children only to schools which al
ways have accepted them.
Negro nurses themselves, Miss
Mari said, many times are the
cause Of their own drawbacks. A
mong her criticisms were:
l. Negro nurses too often do
not apply for positions for which
they are qualified in employing
agencies which have not always
accepted Negro nurses. 2 They
fail TO join or to participate ac-
lively in district and state nurs-
ing associations, the ANA and Ma
tional League for Nursing acti-
vities.
3. Too often they sit together
or fail to get to know white nur-
ses in various association actiT-
ties. 4. At meetings they fail to
speak out on matters before the
professional organization other
than race relations problems.
Despite the inequities stiIl ex-
isting, Miss MARI said. Negro
nurses have an illustrious history
Of progress in the profession. She
included a long list OF achieve
ments:
Before World War II only AZ
schools Of nursing accepted Ne
groes, compared with TO today.
Except for a few in World War I.
no Negro nurses were commission
ed in the armed forces until
World War II Today they are
commissioned and upgraded the
same as white nurses on an In
creasing basis In all branches Of
the service.
Although the employment pic
ture Is not ideal. they are being
well hired on a staff level and to
a limited degree they are gaining
higher positions, The ANA itself
employs two professional nurses
Miss MARI and Jeanette Campbell
as executive secretaries. number
OF Negro secretaries, and the Ma.
tionai League for Nursing EN-.
/ Continued on na9e Al