1945 - Desegregation of the military's nursing corps during World War II

* Staupers fought for the full inclusion of nurses of all races in the U.S. military; this was granted in January 1945. * At the time the military had a strict 56 black nurse quota to enter the service and it enforced segregated practices for those who were already in the service. * Staupers attacked the hypocrisy of Surgeon General Norman T. Kirk's plan to draft white women as nurses instead of enlisting qualified black nurses to meet the shortage of nurses in the military. * In 1945 the U.S Army opened its Armed Forces Nurses Corps to all applicants regardless of race. * In 1948, the American Nursing Association followed suit and allowed African-American nurses to become members.

none

Category:
Nursing

Completion Status:
yes

Patent Number:
N/A

Co-Inventor:
none