History

On February 1, 1926, Ms. Pillars was the first colored nurse in the State of Mississippi to work for the Mississippi State Board of Health. Her responsibilities were largely in midwifery and health education throughout the state. Ms. Pillars played a prominent role after the Mississippi historic 1927 flood. Ms. Pillars was older, experienced, and knowledgeable, thus, she inspired other nurses to take a stand, demand respect, and gain more knowledge. In the 1950s, the club changed its name to the Eliza Pillars Registered Nurses Club in honor of Ms. Pillars. Ms. Pillars died June 15, 1970 at the age of 78 and is buried in Garden Memorial Park in Jackson, Mississippi. (See Eliza Farish Pillars’ Biography)

Ms. Pillars was inducted posthumously into the Mississippi Nurses Association Hall of Fame during the observance of their Diamond Jubilee, October 15, 1986. In 2000, during National Nurses Week, Eliza Pillars Registered Nurses of Mississippi purchased a brick in Ms. Pillars’ memory in the Mississippi Nurses Association, Mary E. Stainton Center of Nursing Garden, located in Madison, Mississippi. In 2002, the Historical Society of the Mississippi Nurses Association donated a brick in Ms. Pillars’ memory. Today, since the 1945 exclusion, members of Eliza Pillars Registered Nurses of Mississippi are also members and leaders of the Mississippi Nurses Association.

On April 22, 1982, a charter was obtained and the Eliza Pillars Nurses Club became the Eliza Pillars Registered Nurses Association, Inc. of Jackson, Mississippi. The hopes, dreams, and vision of the founders continued to grow and in 1984, organizational plans for the State Association began. In 1985, the name was changed to the Eliza Pillars Registered Nurses State Association, Inc. In May 1985, as a member of the Mississippi Black Professional, the first State Association Convention was held in Biloxi, Mississippi with three districts represented. In 1988, the Eliza Pillars Registered Nurses Association, Inc. hosted, for the first time, the Seventh Annual Convention of the Mississippi Black Professionals. Dr. Hazel Johnson-Brown, the first Black Brigadier General of the Army Nurse Corps, was the Keynote Speaker.

On May 1, 1989, the association became organized statewide in seven districts to meet the needs of the people in their respective communities with the headquarters in Jackson. In May 2000, the Eliza Pillars Registered Nurses State Association, Inc. hosted its first independently Annual State Convention. The inaugural state officers were installed in November 1985 at the Landmark Center in Jackson, Mississippi. The officers were President Margaret Johnson (Jackson), Vice-President Christine Duckworth (Taylorville), Recording Secretary Cassandra Hopson (Meridian), Assistant Recording Secretary Willie Ann Bell (Jackson), and Financial Secretary Janice Davis (Jackson), Treasurer Dorothy Lee (Jackson) chaplain Rita Wray (Jackson), Sergeant-at-Arms Mary Lynn Hilliard (Jackson), and Parliamentarian Vanessa Gregory (Jackson).

Ms. Pillars’ inspiration for other nurses to gain more knowledge is ever present among the members. Scholarships are given within each district every year to deserving nursing students. The students must be entering their senior year and/or in an advanced degree program from an accredited Schools of Nursing. In 1990, the State Association began awarding scholarships named in honor of Ms. Eliza Pillars. The State gives the Nurse of the Year, Presidential, and Memorial Awards to deserving members.

Community services are reflective of Ms. Pillar’s life. Giving back to the community through health and educational services is very important to the membership. Participation in the creative and unique Prevention-Education-Advocacy-Referral-Living-Healthy (PEARL) Initiative is a major statewide project. The association’s philanthropy is present in local, state, and national community organizations, agencies, and foundations.

The Association holds an annual February Update. Continuing education credits (CEUs) are provided for all approved educational programs. The Update has an educational session and a convention planning session. The site for the Update is rotated among the Districts. In 1988, the first February Update guest speaker was Ms. Alicia Georges, MA, RNC, president of the National Black Nurses Association. Also in 1988, Mrs. Kaye Killings Mayfield from District IV was the first member of the Association to be appointed to the Mississippi Board of Nursing by Honorable Governor Ray Mabus.

In 1989, the State published its first official newsletter, the Eliza’s Notes with Ms. Dorothy Lee of District IV as the Editor. On February 3, 1990, the State’s first banquet was held in Jackson, Mississippi with Dr. Adib Shakir, President of Tougaloo College, as the Guest Speaker. Dr. Rosie Lee Calvin was presented the first Nurse of the Year Award. In February 1991, District IV, donated a portrait of Ms. Pillars to the Mississippi State Department of Health where it is proudly displayed in the main foyer.

On June 10, 1995, District IV hosted the 50Th Anniversary Celebration in Jackson, Mississippi. The aim of the celebration was to reinforce the positive self-image of black registered nurses, to develop pride in their past, hope for their future, ultimately a better understanding and appreciation of the struggles and contributions of black
Mississippi nurses. The theme for the celebration was “Meeting the Challenges of Health Care Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.” Today, the membership continues the legacy of its founders and namesake by upholding the philosophy of providing excellent health care and gaining more education.

In 2003, after becoming nationally known, the name became the Eliza Pillars Registered Nurses of Mississippi to better reflect its existence and the vision of its founders and Golden Nurses. In May 2005, Dr. Audwin Bernard Fletcher, became the first male state president. On April, 19, 2015, as a not-for-profit organization, Eliza Pillars Registered Nurses of Mississippi 1, obtained the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)3 State tax exemption.

On March 28, 2017, the Mississippi Senate honored the Eliza Pillars Registered Nurses of Mississippi with presentation of Senate Concurrent Resolution 605. This honor recognizes their commitment to bettering the state by creating access to healthcare for those primarily in minority communities who need it most and in some cases cannot afford it.