Mary Keys Gibson Scholarship

We believe one of the most important solutions for problems our black mothers and babies facing the lack of qualified black midwives. Therefore we created the “Mary Keys Gibson” Scholarship. It is our hope that more women of color choose midwifery as a career path. Therefore we are contributing a $2500 annual scholarship to a nurse-midwife of color as well as a guaranteed opportunity to attend your clinical practicum with either Fort Worth Birthing & Wellness Center or a Midwife+Co location.

Mary Keys Gibson (also Gipson, 1854–1952) was an American nurse. Gibson, a former enslaved person, worked as a midwife for many years and later earned her degree in nursing in 1907 at age 53. Gibson was the first African American to earn an accredited nursing degree in the Southern United States. She helped desegregate nursing as a profession.

We also believe that Mary Keys Gibson attended many births in Fort Worth’s “Southside” community which is where FWBC is currently located. How cool is that?

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Gbson was born in Mississippi in 1854 and was an enslaved person As a young person, she was asked to tend to the sick and injured on the plantation where she was enslaved. After the Civil War , she and her family moved to Sherman, Texas. She met her husband, Reverend Franklin Gibson, in Sherman and the couple moved to Fort Worth in 1872. Together, they helped found what became the Carter Metropolitan Church. Mary Gibson worked as a midwife, and her husband encouraged her to get a degree in nursing.

Gibson attended a correspondence school, the Chautauqua School of Nursing because segregated schools in Texas did not offer degrees in nursing at the time. When she graduated at age 53 in 1907, she became the first African American person in the Southern United States to earn an accredited nursing certificate. In 1909, she lobbied the Texas Legislature to pass educational and licensing standards for nursing. Gibson worked to desegregate nursing as a profession. She was involved in 1948 to help desegregate the American Nurses Association. American Nurses

Gibson died in 1952 at the age of 98.

Scholarship Details

To enter submit the following form

Once you smit the form, you will receive more details about the scholarship application.

Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited Certified Nurse-Midwifery Program

Applicants must be Texas Residents

Applicants may enter once per academic year.

The applications will be open from November 15th through December 31st.

The candidate must be a woman of color planning to build a career in midwifery

Must be enrolled and in good standing with an accredited nurse-midwifery program

Must submit a one page essay detailing your passion for midwifery

Winners will be announced on February 14th, 2024

Scholarship winners will also have the opportunity to secure a clinical site with either Fort Worth Birthing & Wellness Center or Midwife+Co.