Betty Smith Williams

Last updated
Betty Smith Williams
NationalityAmerican
EducationCase Western Reserve University
OccupationNurse
Known forFirst African-American nurse to graduate from the nursing school at Case Western Reserve University
Medical career
InstitutionsUniversity of California, Los Angeles
Sub-specialtiesPublic health nursing

Betty Smith Williams is an American nurse. Williams was the first African-American nurse to graduate from the nursing school at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Williams is also a co-founder of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA).

Biography

Williams earned her bachelor's degree in zoology from Howard University. [1] Williams graduated with a doctorate from Case Western Reserve University's (CWRU) school of nursing in 1954, becoming the first black nurse to graduate from that school. [2] [1]

In 1956, Williams became the first Black professor at Mount Saint Mary's College, Los Angeles. [3] It is often erroneously claimed that she was the first Black professor in the state of California, however, Professor David Blackwell was hired at the University of California, Berkeley in 1954, and then made full professor in 1955. [4] She was hired to teach public health nursing at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). [2] [5] In 1971, Williams was a co-founder of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA). [5] From 1995 to 1999, Williams was the president of NBNA. [2] In 1980, Williams became a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hawkins, Carol Hooks (2009). American Women Leaders: 1,560 Current Biographies. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. p. 366. ISBN   978-0-7864-3847-1.
  2. 1 2 3 Robison, Daniel. "Uniting Nurses of Color". Case Western Reserve University. Archived from the original on 2016-11-07. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  3. "10 African-American Nurses Who Changed the Course of History". Associates Degree in Nursing Guide. Archived from the original on 2013-02-16. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
  4. "David Blackwell, Scholar of Probability, Dies at 91 (Published 2010)". 2010-07-17. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
  5. 1 2 Burnette, Margarette (2013-03-30). "Celebrating Excellence: Past, Present and Future". Minority Nurse. Retrieved 2020-05-23.