M. Elizabeth
Carnegie
RN, DPA, MS, PhD,
FAAN
Born 1916
M. Elizabeth Carnegie has
made significant contributions to the development of nursing as a
profession, science and discipline. Dr. Carnegie has been a role
model for teacher-scholars, academic administrators and
organizational leaders, particularly within the African-American
community.
M. Elizabeth
Carnegie recalls her groundbreaking achievement as the first black
nurse appointed to the board of the Florida Nurses Association. Even
then, her struggle didn't end until 1949, when she was officially
elected as a legitimate, not just courtesy member, of that board.
"Up until then, we were limited to
[attending] maybe one business meeting," says Carnegie, author of
The Path We Tread: Blacks in Nursing Worldwide, 1854-1994 (Jones and
Bartlett Publishers, Third Edition, 2000). "That was the main thing
that I fought for." When Carnegie ran for election to the board, she
received the highest number of votes of any candidate and was
elected first to a one-year term, then a three-year term.
