[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 19 (Tuesday, January 31, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E227]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E227]]
A SALUTE TO THE NATIONAL BLACK NURSES ASSOCIATION: CELEBRATING 24 YEARS 
                               OF SERVICE

                                 ______


                           HON. LOUIS STOKES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 31, 1995
  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, in just a few days, on February 2, 1995, 
members of the National Black Nurses Association will gather in 
Washington, DC, for the fifth annual Black Nurses Health Day on Capitol 
Hill. Thousands of nurses from around the country will travel to our 
Nation's Capitol Hill for this day-long event focusing on health care 
and other issues impacting the nursing community.
  The National Black Nurses Association is the Nation's largest 
African-American health organization, representing more than 130,000 
nurses in the United States and throughout the world. The organization 
is under the direction of Dr. Linda Burns Bolton, who serves as 
president. I rise today to offer a special salute to the National Black 
Nurses Association.
  Mr. Speaker, the history of African-Americans in nursing can be 
traced to Sojourner Truth, a former slave, who ministered to wounded 
black veterans of the Civil War in 1864. History also records that a 
few years later, in 1870, Susan Smith McKinney Steward became the first 
black woman to receive a medical degree. Steward received her degree 
from the New York Medical College for Women, and was valedictorian of 
her class.
  I take pride in the fact that the National Black Nurses Association 
has its founding in my congressional district in 1971. Over the past 24 
years, the organization has been a strong advocate for the health care 
needs of the poor, the disenfranchised, the elderly, and our Nation's 
youth. The National Black Nurses Association has also played a key role 
in fighting to secure increased funding for research and development, 
public health service, health profession education, and health care 
technology developments.
  Mr. Speaker, the National Black Nurses Association Health Day on 
Capitol Hill was established in 1989 to give recognition to the 
outstanding services that African-American nurses contribute to the 
health care system in America. The event is celebrated annually during 
Black History Month. I am proud that during Health Day, my colleagues 
in the Congressional Black Caucus, the Hispanic Caucus, and other 
Members of Congress will join us for this important event.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud Dr. Linda Burns Bolton for her leadership of 
the National Black Nurses Association. I am proud to host the 
organization's Annual Health Day, and look forward to greeting Dr. 
Bolton and the members of the National Black Nurses Association. As we 
celebrate Black Nurses Day, let us remember that we owe each of these 
individuals a debt of gratitude for their commitment and dedication to 
service.


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