[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 35 (Monday, March 3, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E281]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF DR. M. ELIZABETH CARNEGIE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 3, 2008

  Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of 
Dr. M. Elizabeth Carnegie, a champion of the cause of Black nurses, who 
passed away on February 20, 2008.
  Born on April 19, 1916 in Baltimore Maryland, Dr. Carnegie received 
her initial nursing education through a diploma program. However, she 
went on to obtain her B.A. from West Virginia State College, and M.A. 
from Syracuse University, and a D.P.A. from New York University.
  Some of Dr. Carnegie's major accomplishments include working on the 
editorial staff of the American Journal of Nursing, including being 
editor of nursing research during her last 5 years The third edition of 
her award winning book, the Path We Tread: Blacks in Nursing Worldwide, 
1834-1994, has been published by the National League for Nursing, New 
York, and continues to be a critical source of the history of Blacks in 
nursing. In addition, she has had six honorary doctoral degrees 
bestowed upon her and held eight distinguished professorships and two 
endowed chairs at leading universities throughout the country The M. 
Elizabeth Carnegie Endowed Chair in Nursing Health Disparities has been 
established in the Howard University Division of Nursing.
  Dr. Carnegie's affiliations include being past national officer of 
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority: chairperson emerita, American Nurses' 
Association Minority Fellowship Program Advisory Committee, board 
member. Nurses' Educational Funds: past president. American Academy of 
Nursing; member. National Black Nurses' Association: member. American 
Association for the History of Nursing. and past board member. Sigma 
Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. Dr. Carnegie was 
inducted into the Hail of Fame of the American Nurses' Association in 
June 2000.
  Dr. Carnegie has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards, 
including the ANA Mary Mahoney Award; American Academy of Nursing 
Legend Award; and the Lillian D. Wald Award, New York Visiting Nurses 
Service.
  Throughout her life, Dr. Carnegie fought against injustice and 
prejudice in the nursing profession, wherever she found it. She worked 
vigorously to ensure educational opportunites for Black nurses. When 
the Florida State Nurses' Association, FSNA, finally admitted blacks, 
Dr. Carnegie became a member of the board without the full rights of 
board membership. Her ongoing personality and determination to be heard 
led the board to grant her full rights within the FSNA. She was not a 
major figure in Black history, and most people do not know about her 
contributions, yet she had an indelible impact on the world. Today we 
pay tribute to the legacy she leaves behind in the field of nursing.

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