Yes! The 2024 NBNA conference will be in San Francisco, July 23-28, 2024! The theme of this year’s conference is Advancing Health Care Across the Lifespan: Through Re-Imagining Nursing and Human Caring.
Dr. Sheldon Fields, current NBNA President, describes the notable significance of this event, and its location, in a recent message to NBNA members and conference attendees:
These are exciting times for the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) as we prepare for our 52nd Annual Institute and Conference. Please join us from Tuesday, July 23, 2024, to Sunday, July 28, 2024, at the Marriott Marquis hotel in picturesque, San Francisco, CA. As you know, earlier this year, after careful consideration, NBNA released a statement announcing its decision to move its 2024 conference out of Florida. Our primary reason for this move was our duty to ensure the safety and well-being of NBNA members, given the political and social climate in Florida and the recent racially motivated, hate-fueled murders of three innocent Black Americans in Jacksonville, FL.
Our conference committee and staff in the national office have been extremely busy planning a memorable conference where you can select educational offerings that meet your needs, engage in activities that promote career development, along with opportunities to network, fellowship, and celebrate with friends, and colleagues. Our corporate roundtable partners, sponsors, and other allies represent various industries and are guaranteed to bring innovative, real-time knowledge that you can utilize long after the conference has ended.
Our conference theme this year is Advancing Health Care Across the Lifespan: Through Re-Imagining Nursing and Human Caring. We invite you to come and share in the extraordinary reimagining of the NBNA. If you are not a member, this is a great time to join as we move onward and upward!
Sincerely,
Sheldon D. Fields, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, AACRN, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN 14th President – National Black Nurses Association, Inc
Our May “Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing” zoom gathering will be on May 20th! We will be discussing the film “Exposed” – a groundbreaking documentary that combines the stories of 19 Black, brown and migrant nurses and midwives in the UK speaking about their powerful experiences of racism before, during and after the pandemic. You can view the film in advance (included below), or join us at 3 pm Eastern on May 20th, before our regular “overdue” zoom discussion. Here are the details:
4:00 pm Eastern – Discussion of the film with the producer and nurses featured in the film!
Felicia Kwaku OBE is an Associate Director of Nursing at Kings College Hospital, London, and Chair of the Chief Nursing Officer’s national BME Strategy Advisory Group.
Latino and African American people are disproportionately impacted by Alzheimer’s. In fact, by 2030 African Americans and Latinos will make up 40 percent of Alzheimer’s patients in the United States. To combat this, these communities need equal access to healthcare and more information about brain health from people they trust – and nurses are among the most trusted voices in communities across the country.
Join the Webinar to discuss brain health equity on Sunday, November 20th, 6-7 PM Eastern, hosted by Dyanne Rodriguez, DNP, MPH, a Fellow of the US Against Alzheimer’s Center for Brain Health Equity.
Dr. Dyanne Rodriguez, RN, has earned her MPH from the University of Alaska Anchorage and DNP from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her work as a public health nurse leader includes a focus on education, Canadian and U.S healthcare systems, health promotion and outreach. Dr. Rodriguez has committed her focus in public health through collaborating with communities and healthcare team members. She currently works in urban/rural acute care centers, is a faculty lecturer and an active community member.
Whether you are planning to participate or not, read on — the spirit of this event is reaching far beyond the event itself! We know that there are many nurses who are not able to be there, who wish they could, and who mightily support nursing activism! So this “Think Tank” is not limited to the gathering! The “Inspirations for Activism” series of blog posts has already prompted reflection – and even action – on what is possible! This series will continue through the end of July; at that point the series will shift to feature the activism of nurses who participate in the gathering. And the link to all of these posts will remain a permanent feature on NurseManifest. If you are not already following this blog, you can do so now to receive an email notification of each of these posts — enter your email at the top of the right sidebar on any NurseManifest.com page!
For those interested in the event itself: YES! The event is happening on July 30-31, 2018 at the College of Nursing, University of Massachusetts Amherst! Over 70 nurses have indicated an interest in participating! We have asked that everyone confirm your intent to participate by May 1, so if you have not yet done so, please complete the “Interest Form” by this coming Tuesday, May 1st! If May 1st slips by and you are eager to join us, the form will still be available and we want to hear from you — we will confirm space available – right up until the day we gather!
You can also use the principles and ideas we are creating for the gathering for any purpose you wish – any time and any where! Here is a summary of the principles and guidelines we are using:
Our guiding intentions:
Getting to know and appreciate the Self as a nurse activist
Getting to know and appreciate one another in the context of nursing activism
Getting to know and appreciate our communities and the social and political forces that shape them.
What to expect:
There will be no speakers or planned presentations – this IS a think tank!
What happens over the course of the two days will be fluid and flexible, created by all of us as participants.
All forms of activism, all points of view, will be fully respected while at the same time providing for one another the kinds of constructive questions and challenges that lead to growth and change.
Day 1: the focus will be on developing and sharing our stories of activism — a process led by Nurstory team members.
Day 2: deep discussion and reflection in large and smaller groups, envisioning possibilities for the future and building networks of support.
How to prepare – consistent with the idea of a “think tank,” your best preparation is guided by your own inner insight and wisdom, your own intentions, hopes and dreams for activism. The following resources are available – use them as you see fit!
Continue to follow, and revisit the NurseManifest blog series “Inspirations for Activism.” These posts will continue to appear every Tuesday and Friday through July. After our gathering, these posts will feature participants in the Think Tank – according to your wishes and consent!
So if you cannot join us in person, join us in spirit! Of course after the gathering we will be sharing heaps of ideas and information — every step we take is vitally important!
NurseManifest 