National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses

American organization

Also known as: NACGN

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July 1, 2026

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The National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) was an American organization founded to address the segregation and discrimination faced by Black nurses in the early to mid-20th century. Established in 1934, the NACGN advocated for the unrestricted membership of Black nurses in state and national nursing organizations.12

During World War II, the NACGN, under the leadership of Mabel Keaton Staupers, played a crucial role in campaigning for the integration of Black nurses into the U.S. Army and Navy Nurse Corps. This effort, supported by public awareness and advocacy, led to the full acceptance of Black nurses by January 1945. The organization also pushed for the desegregation of the American Nurses Association, which was achieved in 1949. With its primary goals met, the NACGN dissolved in 1951. The NACGN honored Mary Mahoney, the first African-American woman to complete professional nursing studies, by establishing the Mary Mahoney Medal.132

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Mary Mahoney
…ANA), she later joined the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) and addressed its first annual convention in Boston (1909). The association awarded her life membership in 1911 and elected her its national chaplain.
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…ANA), she later joined the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) and addressed its first annual convention in Boston (1909). The association awarded her life membership in 1911 and elected her its national chaplain.
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Song of the South
…African American organizations as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for the character of Uncle Remus, who was seen as subservient and demeaning to African Americans. The film was also criticized for its depiction of 19th-century Southern life, in which simple African Americans happily work for white…
Read More
…African American organizations as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for the character of Uncle Remus, who was seen as subservient and demeaning to African Americans. The film was also criticized for its depiction of 19th-century Southern life, in which simple African Americans happily work for white…
Read More