Estelle Massey Riddle Osborne: A Nurse Leader in Diversity
Excelsior College
July 31, 2012

Excelsior College, Liberty University, Old Dominion University, St. Joseph’s College are all colleges that offer baccalaureate degrees for nursing. These are only a few of the thousands of programs that are currently available either on campus or on-line to men and women of every race. This was not always the case. During the Civil War, black codes were in place in both the north and the south. These black codes were designed to hinder the progress of blacks and to limit access to institutions of learning and employment opportunities (NBNA, 2012).By 1900, of the four hundred thirty two schools that were open to women in the United States; only ten were open to blacks. For over forty-three years, Estelle Massey Riddle Osborne fought to eliminate discrimination and was relentless in her actions to assure future blacks had opportunities to obtain higher levels of education, be employed in higher supervisor positions in nursing, and be accepted and welcomed in professional nursing organizations (Grime, 2003). In the journal article, Great black nurses: Estelle Massey Osborne, the author Marie O. Pitts (2002) speaks of Osborne’s exceptional journey. Estelle was born May 3, 1901 in Palestine, Texas. She was one of eleven children. Her father was a handyman and her mother was a homemaker. Even though her parents did not have professional careers, they were the most knowledgeable and progressive in the area they lived. They always wanted better for their children and believed in traditional ways of rearing them. All eleven of the Massey children received a minimum of two years of college. That was not the norm, during that time period. After graduating high school, Estelle enrolled in Prairie View State College; she later graduated with a teaching degree. Two