2023 Hall of Fame Honoree: Debroah Bourrage Stokes
Nearly 50 years ago, less than 1 percent of the registered nurses (RN) in the United
States were Black.
But Debroah Bourrage Stokes would help to change that statistic. In 1975, she would become the first Black nursing instructor in Meridian and one of the first in Mississippi when she began teaching at the now-closed Matty Hersee School of Nursing.
Later, in 1980, Stokes crossed the street and became the first Black nursing professor at Meridian Community College. She would work tirelessly to educate all of her nursing students and work diligently to help increase the number of Black nursing students and nursing instructors. This dedication to nursing education, nursing diversity, and her commitment to MCC has earned her a spot in the College’s Hall of Fame.
Stokes is one of three MCCers who will join the College's Hall of Fame roster on Wednesday, March 8, during a ceremony spotlighting the honorees' achievements. Hosted by the MCC Foundation, the induction ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. in the McCain Theater. The ceremony will be live-streamed via mcceagles.live.
Hall of Fame honorees are alumni or former employees who have excelled in their careers and missions in life. They have elevated MCC's esteem through their achievements, service, and association with the higher educational institution.
Randy Carroll and Pamela Speights Harrison are joining Stokes in this year's class.
"Meridian Community College has always been known as ‘The Little Harvard on the Hill,' and I wanted to be a part of such an impressive and outstanding institution," she said, in making the switch from one nursing school to another. Stokes taught MCC nursing students for 32 years before her retirement in 2012.
A life of serving others has been a mainstay for Stokes. While at MCC, Stokes would serve as the first-year coordinator of the MCC Associate Degree Nursing Program, president of the MCC Faculty Association, a member of MCC’s Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Self Study Steering Committee, a SACS evaluator, president of the College's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Committee, a member of ADN self-study steering committees for national accreditation and served as the Associate Degree Nursing’s Retention Specialist.
Stokes holds an RN diploma from Matty Hersee School of Nursing. She also has a bachelor’s and master's degree in nursing from the University of Southern Mississippi. In addition, she is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
Also while working at MCC, Stokes was the recipient of several honors including, MCC Teacher of the Year, Lamplighters, a statewide community college recognition of teaching excellence, MCCer of the Month, and she was inducted into the distinguished MCC Talon Club, a recognition spotlighting MCC employees for three decades of service to the institution.
Active in her church, Friendship Missionary Baptist in Collinsville, Stokes serves or has served in numerous positions, including deaconess, Sunday School teacher, church program coordinator, home and foreign mission team leader, president usher ministry, church announcer, president of the nursing ministry, financial clerk, and as a Certified Christian Educator.
She also writes a monthly health article for Uni-Fam News Church Letter for Black churches in Meridian and Lauderdale County.
Stokes continues to stay involved in the medical arena, conducting health fairs for the Retired Educators of East Mississippi organization, conducting CPR and AED workshops at her church, and leading seminars on health-related issues for local religious organizations.
When asked what her fondest memory of MCC was, Stokes said, “I've had the honor of teaching hundreds of nursing students who are now highly competent, professional, and successful registered nurses. Many of these graduates have pursued higher education; some are now deans of nursing, nursing educators, and nurse practitioners."
"I thank God for granting me the opportunity to have such a profound impact on the lives of so many," she added.
And it was another MCCer – Dr. Clarence Roberts, a former vice president of the College and an MCC Hall of Fame recipient – who Stokes credits with being very supportive in her career. "Dr. Roberts was always willing to listen to me and displayed respect for my opinions as I sought to optimize student achievement in the nursing program and throughout the College.”
Stokes and her husband, Charles Larry Stokes, have been married for 50 years; he is also a retired educator. They have two children, Carlo (Kenya) Stokes and Stephanie Stokes Eley, and they are the grandparents of three, Kyla Stokes, Ethan Eley, and Avery Eley.