Estelle Massey Osborne was the first black nurse in the U.S. to earn a master's degree. In 1945, she became assistant professor at New York University, the university's first black instructor.

As president of the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, Osborne increased membership and forged relationships with the American Nurses Association (ANA), National League for Nursing, and National Organization for Public Health Nursing. In 1946, she received the Mary Mahoney Award for her efforts to broaden opportunities for black nurses to move into the mainstream of professional nursing. A member of the ANA Board of Directors from 1948-1952, Osborne was an ANA delegate to the International Council of Nurses. She was a member of the National Urban League, first vice-president of the National Council of Negro Women, and an honorary member of Chi Eta Phi Sorority and the American Academy of Nursing. In 1982, the Estelle M. Osborne Memorial Scholarship was established to annually honor a black nurse pursuing a master's degree in nursing.

Source: American Nurses Association
Photo source: Wikipedia.org