Ethelrine Shaw-Nickerson (May 30, 1933 – June 21, 2014) was born in McDonough, Georgia. When she was two years old, her father, a sharecropper, moved the family to Cincinnati, Ohio. Here she grew up and, because she knew that the University of Cincinnati did not accept black students, she enrolled in the OSU School of Nursing in 1951. She had a full tuition scholarship, and, while going to school, worked to pay for her room and board.
After graduating in 1955, Shaw-Nickerson worked at Cincinnati General Hospital for a year in maternal-child nursing, and then moved to Boston. She graduated from Boston University in 1957, with a masters degree in nursing, majoring in maternal child nursing. She was financially supported by a State of Ohio traineeship (with the proviso that she teach in Ohio for two years after graduating).
Upon returning to Ohio, Shaw-Nickerson taught maternal-child nursing at Ohio State for thirty years, before retiring in 1987. During her years at Ohio State she taught and then was chair of the school’s maternal-child division. Interested in research, she wrote a grant to study the effects of the Lamaze method of childbirth on the progress of labor. The grant was accepted but not funded.
In the 1960’s Shaw-Nickerson became involved in the civil rights movement. She attended the march on Selma and the march on Washington. When telling Dean Newton about her wish to march in Selma (which occurred during spring break) she assured the Dean that she “would not get arrested or besmirch the name of Ohio State in any way.” She found, upon returning to the university after her Selma march, that faculty members - both nursing and many others- were interested in having her talking to them about the march. At this point in her life she began to develop an abiding interest in social justice.
Upon realizing, in 1970, that the American Nurses Association (which had absorbed the National Association of Colored Nurses in 1951) was still not inclusive, Shaw-Nickerson and several others formed the National Black Nurses Association in 1971. This continues today to meet the specific needs of black nurses. With her work as an ANA vice president and head of a task force (later a commission) on affirmative action, the ANA has become much more open to and inclusive of minorities. Shaw-Nickerson also served as a site visitor to schools applying for Federal grants paying particular attention to minority issues.
During her work for social justice (which required much traveling), Shaw-Nickerson found support from faculty members and students, who adjusted schedules according to her times away from campus. While teaching and traveling she studied for her PhD in social psychology (1976-1980). This led to, among other things, her developing a course (with nursing colleague Elsie Williams-Wilson) about the care of culturally diverse patients.
After retiring, Shaw-Nickerson served as a visiting or distinguished professor at the Medical College of Virginia, the University of Delaware, and Delaware State University. She advised nursing programs in Botswana with a one month leadership grant from the Kellogg Foundation.
Shaw-Nickerson married Rev. David B. Nickerson on May 15, 1983. He preceded her in death in 2004.
The Ethelrine Shaw-Nickerson, RN, PhD Papers (1.25 linear feet) contains material related to her life and career.
This related collection is part of the Medical Heritage Center’s archival collections:
This collection is arranged in three series:
Series I: Personal (10 files) contains information related to Shaw-Nickerson’s degrees as well as other items. This series is arranged alphabetically.
Series II: Professional (60 files) contains information related to Shaw-Nickerson’s work. This series is arranged alphabetically.
Series III: Publications (20 files) contains publications written by Shaw-Nickerson. This series is arranged alphabetically.
The collection is open to the public and is available for viewing in the Medical Heritage Center. Materials do not circulate and must be used in the supervised reading room. Restrictions, including copyright, may exist and some materials may be too fragile to photocopy or digitize. The MHC charges for duplication services, which must be performed by staff.
[Identification of item], Ethelrine Shaw-Nickerson, RN, PhD Papers, SPEC.201626.SHAWNICKERSON, Medical Heritage Center, Health Sciences Library, The Ohio State University.