This Thursday, take 5 minutes to watch and think about this short video from anti-racism trainer Matthew Kincaid from Overcoming Racism based in New Orleans. Yes, the message in this video is directed to white people, but everyone benefits from taking in the fundamental messages here about race and racism.

Yes indeed! Saturday July 31st will be our last “summer” gathering, focused on networking and support among Black,Indigenous, Latina/x and other nurses of color! We have shifted zoom access to a “registration” system — all you need to do is follow the link to register on Zoom, and the meeting link and meeting information will be delivered to your email! If you register and then lose the meeting information, just register again!! Here is the registration link for July 31st –

Jul 31, 2021 04:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtcO6urTkpG9QPDgN-OiotFFqVfC8wCt-O

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

During August, our organizing team is having a retreat to renew our commitment and shape the ongoing vision for “overdue reckoning on racism in nursing.” This work is not something that has an end point, or a product … it is a process that requires the kind of unrelenting attention, dedication and planning that “growing” anything demands. We are creating the “soil” from which to grow new possibilities for nursing and health care, where the damaging effects of racism are confronted, where we nurture “tough conversation” skills that change the landscape of human interaction.

During this August break from our gatherings, we will post here every Thursday, providing the latest news about the plans for September and beyond! We will also include information about inspirations and resources to continue our reflections and growing anti-racism awareness.

Resource for this week –

The National Museum of African American History and Culture provides a wonderful introduction and guide for “Being Antiracist.” They give clear explanations of the various levels and types of racism – individual, interpersonal, institutional and structural. In explaining what it means to be “antiracist” they point out:

Being antiracist is different for white people than it is for people of color. For white people, being antiracist evolves with their racial identity development. They must acknowledge and understand their privilege, work to change their internalized racism, and interrupt racism when they see it. For people of color, it means recognizing how race and racism have been internalized, and whether it has been applied to other people of color.

https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race/topics/being-antiracist

I highly recommend taking the time to read and reflect on “Being Antiracist.” It is clear and thought-provoking – packed with examples and prompts for action! I even recommend reading through this page several times during the month of August! You can use this one resource as a guide for moving your own antiracism journey further down the path that we are seeking!

This video is featured on the “Being Antiracist” page – but I am posting it here as well because it is so important – and so powerful!

Our next “Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing” gathering was planned for the “First Saturday” but since this is a holiday, we are postponing to July 10th instead – 4 to 5:30 pm Eastern. And we are shifting to a new plan for registering and signing in! For each gathering, there will be Zoom link to register for the event; once you register you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting! Here is the information to register for July 10th:

When: Jul 10, 2021 04:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance for this meeting:

• https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lf-ugqz8iH9WX_GiY8N6qmiAlMxRQ6I9g

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

For announcements of all the monthly gatherings, please “follow” this blog – you will receive an email each time we post an announcement of the next meeting. You can also visit the webpage where we will post the gatherings coming up, along with the link to register!

The unique experience of our “overdue reckoning on racism” discussions in September and October charted a clear path forward to continue this essential work! What makes our antiracism initiative unique is our commitment to ground our approach in the everyday lives and experiences of nurses of color, which we believe provides a foundation for all nurses to understand and join together to address racism in nursing.

We know that the situation we are in today has a long history, and the recent awakening that is bringing about action has only just begun. We know that the fact of racism in nursing cannot be changed by attending a “diversity training” or starting an “equity and inclusion” program. The kind of change that is needed now involves in depth unlearning and learning, hard work, difficult conversations – and even a few missteps along the way. As we all explore new directions for ourselves, and for our communities, I believe we can and we will make change!

In less than a month since the last of the initial “Overdue Reckoning” zoom meetings, we have created a number of new opportunities to move forward! These are –

BILNOC Reckoning with Racism – November 14 and December 5, 2020.

These zoom meetings are planned to bring together Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other Nurses of Color to explore avenues for further antiracism actions. These discussions will include ideas for personal, family, workplace, and larger community and organizational change. All are welcome to join with the understanding that BILNOC nurses will take the lead in these discussions. When you register, you will receive the login information for Zoom.

Register here!

Moving Beyond “White Fragility for Nurses” January 9th, 16th and 23rd, from 4 to 5:30 pm Eastern 2021

This is a 3-part workshop for nurses with Nanette D. Massey featuring honest and effective conversations about race inspired by Robin DiAngelos’ book White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism. The focus of this workshop is to provide white nurses the opportunity to explore issues of racism and how white people participate, often unknowingly. The workshop is also open to nurses of color who are looking to develop skills for discussing race and racism with white nurses.

Registration open

Ongoing 1st Saturday “Overdue Reckoning” Discussions beginning February 6, 2021

Mark your calendar for the first Saturdays starting on February 6, 2021! Time 4 – 5:30 pm Eastern. When you register you will receive a confirmation notice and email providing the Zoom login information. The format for these discussions will evolve over time, but for now will remain the same as the initial series of discussions.

Register here!

These opportunities are just the beginning! There continues to be a lot of “buzz” floating ideas for continuing and growing this important work – one of which is the production of an archive of stories from nurses of color reflecting on the past and pointing the way forward, and a documentary film based on these stories! So join us for any (or all!) of the activities we are planning! Also follow this blog – we will post here new events and activities as they emerge!

This past Saturday, we concluded the 5-week series of discussions “Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing.” There were 100 to 120 participants present for each discussion.  Lucinda Canty skillfully hosted each discussion, guided by the “Principles of Reckoning” that set the stage for us to hear the voices of nurses of color, and for white nurses to be still and listen.  I will be honest – even with my commitment to this process, there were moments when I felt the desire, arising from my deeply embedded whiteness, to speak!  But everyone who participated honored the commitment on which these discussions were based – and WOW – what a powerful experience!  Here are a few of the comments on the feedback that we received in response to the feedback stem: “What I appreciated the most” . . .

• The vulnerability of those who spoke.
• The honesty, raw emotion, and thoughtful respect
• The opportunity to gain greater understanding of challenges I have not had to face
• How this was an open discussion and made racism in the workplace not an uncommon thing to experience. The discussion and platform allowed a safe space for people to share their stories and experiences, while also bringing awareness to an important issue that happens in the workplace..
• As a white woman, it is very important to listen to the experiences shared.
• I appreciated hearing the stories, the struggle, and the successes that people brought to this circle.
• Having had this space to listen to the stories of others, and reflection on my own history and goals moving forward
• The vulnerability and courage of the speakers in sharing their experiences
• growing awareness of what needs to change

We also asked participants to reflect on what made them uncomfortable:

• The stories of BIPOC nurses experiencing racism in nursing at all levels are extremely important in understanding the violence, the disrespect, the emotions etc… they experience in our culture. SO VERY POWERFUL. I appreciate it all! Thank you… will keep working at this. Thank you for sharing all the stories.
• I did not feel uncomfortable – I felt enriched and blessed
• Just sad that racism is still so prevalent
• For me it feels like trauma is revisited and it hurts. But it is also cathartic.
• Talking to white nurses about my experiences
• It was hard to hear the suffering of other black nurses and women of color.
• Nothing made me uncomfortable; good to get it out and hear from others
• It was hard to relive some of the traumas we’ve shared in the circle. So many brave women of color sharing really difficult situations they had been in.
• Continued exploration of my own prior complicity
• This session made me more aware about potential racism that can happen when I become a nurse and start working (as I am currently a student nurse). This discussion made me more conscious of people’s experiences and provides a take-away of what to look for (potential red flags and racism) in the workplace and how to possibly address them.
• Knowing I could have done more
• The reflection that I may think that I am more ‘woke’ than I really am.

For those of us who organized this series, we have felt the earth quake – we are forever changed by this experience!  And we know that many participants felt the same kind of change. We are sad that it has ended, but while realizing that we need to take a break, we are determined to take the next step forward. We know that white nurses need to enter into the discussion, so we anticipate that this will be a feature of whatever direction we take. We have encouraged all nurses, and particularly white nurses, to take a deep dive into the many resources available on our “Resources for Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing” page.

We have connected with nurses of color who spoke during these discussions, inviting them to join in planning the next steps.  These discussions are open to anyone interested in participating, on October 24th  and October 31st from 4 to 5:30 Eastern.  If you are interested, please let us know! And follow this blog – we will post the next steps of this initiative here!