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• 1 media/CCNBNA membership.webp 2022-08-12T19:29:04+00:00 The Chicago Chapter of the National Black Nurses Association 17 image_header 2023-10-13T15:00:43+00:00 Black nurses formed the the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) in 1971 in response to their experiences as Black nurses in the era after legal integration. The National Association for Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) had voluntarily dissolved in 1951 after many hard-earned victories, including the legal integration of most nursing schools, the Army & Navy Nurse Corps, and American Nursing Association.
  
  Despite these changes, Black nurses continued to face barriers, especially in advancing to leadership positions in healthcare institutions or in nursing organizations. In addition, the Black community continued to face disparities in the provision of healthcare services.
  
  
  
  These nurses, inspired by the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, organized their community in order to "unite black nurses to influence health care services for black people and to promote the inclusion of blacks in nursing education and nursing leadership positions."
  
  The NBNA continues to serve as the professional voice for Black American nurses and student nurses, with chapters across the US, including here in Chicago. The organization focuses on providing a "forum for collective action by nurses to investigate, define and advocate for the health care needs of African Americans and other underserved communities."
  
  
  
  The Chicago chapter (CCNBNA) is passionate about providing a space of community, support, and encouragement for Black nurses in the Chicago area. The chapter offers scholarships and highlights career opportunities for Black nurses. 
  
  
  
  Members of the CCNBNA also focus on improving healthcare for Black Chicagoans and other underserved communities. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have conducted outreach in the community, including mask & hand sanitizer giveaways, as well as education programs. 
  
  

  Ethel Walton, one of our oral history participants, currently serves as the president of the Chicago chapter. Other oral history participants, including Sandra Webb Booker and Barbara Norman, are active leaders in the organization.