History
In 1971 Christine Miller invited twenty Black nurses (RNs & LPNs) to her home for the purposes of getting to know them, to see how many were in the area, and to exchange ideas and experiences.
From this meeting, it was found that Black Nurses had few major leadership roles in the Tacoma hospitals, lacked a sense of power and cohesiveness and that their efforts were minimal due to a lack of integration of activities.
With this information, it was decided that a professional organization of nurses would help to address these problems. Under her leadership, the Ebony Nurses Association of Tacoma was established. It is an organization of Black nurses (RNs, LPNs, and student nurses). The principal purposes of this organization were to:
- Influence changes in existing conditions of the Black Community related to patient care.
- Promote recruitment of Black nurses into leadership roles in the Tacoma hospitals and health arenas.
- Provide scholarship support to students who desire to pursue studies leading to careers in nursing.
- Provide information and support to one another to facilitate personal advancement.