Black nurses leading change

By Daria Adèle Juüdi-Hope and Dania Versailles

As we wrap up this year’s Black History Month, Black nurses have a message: We are tired of waiting on the sidelines for change. For far too long, we have been subjected to and have witnessed structural racism within nursing organizations, regulatory bodies, associations and the broader health system.

If Black lives really do matter, we must experience change within the nursing profession. The mere act of creating organizational anti-racism plans on paper is not enough. These plans must be made public, as must their progress indicators – and their outcomes.

As members of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario’s (RNAO) Black Nurses Task Force, we feel privileged to be part of a group that is galvanizing the necessary energy to lead and advocate for the changes we know must happen. The task force issued 19 recommendations aimed at dismantling anti-Black racism in health-care organizations and nursing education programs. And, our group, the Black Nurses Leading Change Interest Group (BLNC), is continuing the work of challenging and removing the barriers Black nurses face.

We bring our experiences and our own perspectives as Black nurses. We know what it is like to be passed over for promotion. We know what it is like to be ignored, disrespected, not heard. We know what that sense of “otherness” feels like. We have been demeaned by colleagues, patients, or families. In a survey of 205 Black nurses and nursing students, 88 per cent reported experiencing racism and discrimination in their work. Imagine for a moment, the suffering and the negative impact this has on one’s mental and physical health, one’s livelihood, and one’s career path. This is a public threat that cannot be ignored. It affects the health and wellbeing of Black nurses; it limits their contributions to the health system and it interferes with their ability to provide safe and compassionate care to Ontarians.

But we also need to deal head on with the root causes of systemic racism. This requires holding all staff in health organizations accountable for addressing racial discrimination and developing strategies to combat it. We also need to develop and enforce transparent policies on anti-racism such as zero tolerance for staff, nursing leaders, patients and families.

At a time when Ontario is experiencing a nursing crisis, can we really afford to drive away more nurses because of how we mistreat them? And, yet that is the risk if we do not take concerted action. We are working collectively to centre the stories and experiences of Black nurses, engage in political advocacy, and demand transformative action. Priority recommendations include the need for urgent advocacy and partnership with allies to address racism against Black nurses, create great- er mentorship and support for Black nurses and students, embed anti-racism content in nursing curricula, call for equitable and fair human resources processes, and collect race-based data.

Many of us have often felt that our knowledge and expertise were not valued. Too often, colleagues and leaders only see the colour of our skin. RNAO’s BNLC interest group represents what nursing can look like in our workplaces and on the front lines. We offer mentorship, support, a sense of community, and educational and career opportunities for Black nurses and nursing students to thrive in work and study places.

Our health system needs substantial improvements to dismantle and address anti-Black racism within nursing. We need to level the playing field through advocacy, meaningful collaboration and transparent accountabil- ity mechanisms. And, we need more awareness of systemic racism among health-care providers, leaders and community members.

We strongly feel that had we had a similar group earlier on in our careers, we would have felt encouraged to further our careers and take on leadership roles early on. It could have changed the course of our careers. Too often, expertise of Black nurses have been wasted because a group like this did not exist.

We are leading the way by continuing the important work built on the strong foundation laid by the work and report of RNAO’s Black Nurses Task Force. We continue to call on senior leadership in nursing workplaces and academic settings to tackle structural racism.

RNAO’s BNLC offers us a safe space to collaborate, connect, advocate for anti-Black racism, provide mentorship and continuing education, every day –not just one month a year. Our group is powering this social movement. We hope that nurses and nursing students around the world see us as champions against anti-Black racism and discrimination. And, we call on all nurses and nursing students to stand up for Black colleagues in their workplaces and nursing programs. n H