Hazel Johnson- Brown (1927-2011)

Hazel Johnson-Brown was a pioneering nurse in many ways. At the age of 12, she knew she wanted to be a nurse. She was rejected from Chester County Hospital school of Nursing for being black but later moved to NYC, where she attended Harlem School of Nursing in 1947. Hazel then started her career in the emergency ward at Harlem Hospital.

Hazel Johnson-Brown was the first African American woman to achieve the rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Army. She joined the Army Nurse Corps in 1964 and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming the Chief of the Army Nurse Corps in 1979. Johnson-Brown’s leadership in nursing and military healthcare was groundbreaking, and she played a key role in advocating for better training and working conditions for nurses in the Army.

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“Positive progress towards excellence, that’s what we want. If you stand still and settle for status quo, that’s exactly what you will have.”

-Hazel Johnson-Brown

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Hazel Johnson-Brown earned the title “Army Nurse of the Year” twice. In 1990, during Operation Desert Storm, Johnson-Brown volunteered to work in the surgical suite at Fort Belvoir, Virginia’s Army Hospital.

She retired in 1993 after a distinguished career, leaving a lasting legacy in both nursing and the military. Her achievements continue to inspire future generations of nurses and leaders.

It is time Black Nurses Stories are told…

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References:

https://www.thenmusa.org/biographies/hazel-johnson-brown

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel_Johnson-Brown#References