The National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) was founded in 1971 in Cleveland, Ohio.

[1] The organization is dedicated to promoting African American women in the profession of nursing.

[2] After the convention, several nurses met at Doctor Mary Harper's home in Cleveland, Ohio to discuss the formation of an organization.

[3] Betty Smith Williams was the nurse who proposed the formation of the group under its current name.

[5] The goal of the NBNA is to improve the health status of black people in the United States, Canada, Eastern Caribbean, and Africa[1] and to open nursing education and leadership positions for African Americans.