The National Black Nurses Association Has Over 100 Local Chapters, and One Is Probably Near You

Have you ever considered joining the National Black Nurses Association?

A caucus of Black nurses made their case at the 1970 American Nurses Association convention in Miami, and the steering committee it produced was headed by Dr. Lauranne Sams. She convened more than 200 Black nurses that same year. In 1971 they founded the National Black Nurses Association in Cleveland. Sams was the first president and later became dean of nursing at Tuskegee University.

The reason to join is proximity. NBNA has more than 100 chartered chapters across 33 states, and chapters are where nurses trade shift intelligence, hear about openings before they post, and get pulled onto committees that put their names in front of nursing leadership. NBNA says it represents 308,000 Black nurses, nursing students and retired nurses across the United States, the Eastern Caribbean and Africa.

The Annual Institute and Conference gathers over 1,200 nurses and more than 100 exhibitors, most of them health systems and staffing groups recruiting in the room. The 54th met in St. Louis in 2026.

For advancement, NBNA runs the Founders Leadership Institute, an Institute of Excellence, and a collaborative mentorship program that pairs newer nurses with people already holding the titles they want. There are also 24 named scholarships starting at $1,000. In 2023 the association awarded 57 of them, totaling more than $257,000. You have to be a member to apply.

Student membership is $35 a year. A registered nurse joining directly pays $160, and chapter members pay national dues plus local dues.

Membership details are at nbna.org/membership.