“Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing” October Events!

/ Peggy L Chinn / 1 Comment

There are two things “happening” in October  … 

  • Our traditional “Overdue” zoom gathering is happening on Thursday, October 12th, 7-8:30 pm Eastern!  We will be focusing on the voices of students – so encourage any and all students and recent graduates you know to join us!
  • The 4-week Saturday series focusing on action for white nurses is happening on October 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th, from 3 to 4:30 pm Eastern.  These discussions will be informed by two books (not required reading but highly recommended now or later!) 

To register for these events, and for the latest information, and details, go to our “Overdue” page here!

In AJN Now! “Activism is an Essential Nursing Role”

/ Peggy L Chinn / 1 Comment

The October issue of the American Journal of Nursing includes an article titled “Activism is an Essential Nursing Role!” This article has been brewing for at least a decade, conjured up by Shawn Kennedy, now Editor Emerita of AJN, and me (Peggy Chinn), now Editor Emerita of Advances in Nursing Science (ANS). As nursing journal editors, we had experienced blow-back from readers who objected not only to “political” content in our journals, but also claimed that “politics” is not an appropriate concern for nurses. Shawn had taken a strong editorial stance related to gun violence as a public health issue, for example, and had received threats to discontinue subscription to the journal as a result of this stance. In ANS, we maintained a strong reputation of publishing politically controversial topics but when one of the articles published in the journal addressed explicitly the militarization of nursing education, we also received threats from readers that they would not only not subscribe, but would cease to use ANS content in their reading lists!

Source
Maureen “Shawn” Kennedy

Shawn and I had several opportunities to share our experiences and our mutual commitment to continuing to advocate for nursing’s responsibilities to protect the the health and well-being of all , even when it required taking a “political” stance in our journals. We presented the topic for discussion at several nursing editor’s meetings (INANE), and maintained our intention to publish an article on the topic! Finally, once we each “retired” from our editorial roles, we moved this intention to the top of our “to do” lists, resulting in the publication of the article!

We hope you will take a few moments to read this article, and welcome your feedback! Please add your experiences advocating for activism here — we all are inspired when we hear the stories – we know we are not alone!

A Call to White Nurses

/ Peggy L Chinn / Leave a comment

Are you a white nurse who is concerned about the reality of racism in nursing? Are you a white nurse who believes that racism exists in patient care – but that nurses are not racist? Are you a white nurse who is confident that you yourself are not racist? Whatever your attitudes and beliefs are about racism in nursing, our “Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing” is committed to addressing any and all of these issues. We know that this is a journey, and that each nurse is on a particular part of their own journey. Racism effects all of us, and we all play a part in the dynamics that range from the personal, to the institutional, to the structural. We cannot escape the fact that there is a problem – now we are calling for all of us – including white nurses – to be part of the solution.

We have set aside four Saturdays in October to focus specifically on what white nurses can do – what we must do – to move closer to solutions, to take action. Join us! The topics planned for each session are as follows (open to change by participants as we go!)

Oct. 6 – Developing our awareness of Whiteness.” Discussion Prompt: “When did you first become aware of your privilege as a white person?

Oct. 14 – Dismantling white privilege – “What is your experience of remaining silent while people of color speak?”

Oct. 21 – DEI is not enough — “What happens when you attend the dance, but are not asked to dance?”

Oct 28 – Blueprints for action – “What antiracism actions are we committed to take on an individual, group, and structural level?”

Register now! One registration for all 4 sessions! When you register, you will receive the link to join the sessions. If you lose the link, register again. See our webpage for details and updates!

All are welcome to also participate in our monthly Thursday, 7-8:30 Eastern, “Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing” zoom gatherings! We will be featuring actions that nurses are taking to address racism – our September gathering featured the new book by Tina Loarte-Rodrigues titled “Latinas in Nursing: Stories of determination, inspiration and trust“. Here are the dates for the sessions coming up:

  • October 12
  • November 9
  • December 14
  • January – winter break
  • February 8
  • March 7
  • April 4

There is one registration for all sessions – When you register, you will receive the link to join the sessions. If you lose the link, register again. See our webpage for details and updates!

Register now! One registration for all sessions!

https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMudeyhrzsqG9y9gho-ewR85Wbgq-etvFXk

More Evidence – Now We Need Action!

/ Peggy L Chinn / 1 Comment

Ms. Frankie Manning shared with us an article published on the web on May 30, 2023. The article is titled “‘A target on my back’: New survey shows racism is a huge problem in nursing.” It gives ample evidence of one of the most pernicious and seemingly intractable and systematic patterns that sustain racism – the subtle and explicit ways that we are all complicit in simply not recognizing and addressing it. Those of us who have been participating in “Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing” over the past 3 years are all too familiar with stories and situations reflecting what is in this article. Time and again – situations in which nobody acknowledges the blatant expressions of racism, denies the reality, and places insurmountable barriers in the way of making change.

This article reminds me of a comment that we heard when we were first announcing “Overdue.” More than one white nurse said to us something along this line: “I hope that this is not just going to be a complaining session.” Our response to this was along this line: “We intend to listen and hear any and all complaints – until we pay attention and start to see the reality, and talk about it we will never see change.”

The “Target on my back” report explains how many nurses of color have simply given up, assuming that it is hopeless for white nurses to ever come to terms with the racism that they participate in and enable. The energy and courage that it takes for nurses of color to even begin to address the issue is overwhelming and destructive. Looking at this reality as vividly portrayed in this article is disheartening, but it is also a wake-up call, and a reminder, that we must do better. We white nurses need to do more than offer cheap apologies – we need to examine the harm that is still happening around us every day, and engage in the deep, authentic and sincere processes of forgiveness, which leads to change.

Nurse ethicist Marsha Fowler has offered insight into the harm of “cheap forgiveness” – and outlines the process of forgiveness as follows:

Forgiveness is a process containing several essential and sequential elements: contrition, confession, penitence, repentance, forgiveness, then reconciliation, meaning, to grieve, to acknowledge, to regret, to turn around, to let go/my sins let go, to be restored. This is the movement that is forgiveness.

https://nursology.net/2023/04/04/cheap-forgiveness/

So on this Juneteenth day of 2023, I am sending a call, an invitation, to my white colleagues to examine what we need to do, and can do, to engage in processes of forgiveness, and processes of building genuine reconciliation and partnership. At the same time I send deep appreciation to my colleagues of color who have joined us in this journey of reckoning with racism in nursing. Lucinda Canty has led us from the beginning, and many more have joined us, for which we are all grateful.

We are all on a journey, with each of us in different places on this journey. As Lucinda says, I will not lie – this is not an easy journey. But I believe that in embarking on our journeys, we are beginning to create real change.

Audrey Godlewski’s Hate Speech: Another Example of Nurses’ Anti-Racist Complacency – Where do we Nurses go from Here?

/ Peggy L Chinn / 2 Comments

Contributor: Ashley M. Ruiz PhD, RN 

Higher education institutions fail BIPOC students.

If we [Nurses] think trauma science is true, then the University of Wisconsin-Madison has a problem. Audrey Godlewski and her hilarious friends are one example of this problem. Rather than address the problem, UW structures like the Black Cultural Center hand out coupons for ice cream to sweep away the problem (Escott & Goldhaber, 2023).

If you are not familiar with the situation, Audrey Godlewski’s friends posted a video on TikTok showing her saying, “every f–ing little N-word who f–ing did me wrong” and force them to “pick f–ing cotton” until their bodies “dry out because of how much cotton they’re picking for me”. 

In response, students at UW-Madison are calling for the student to be expelled.  In response, the University released this statement: “While the university can’t limit what students and employees post to their personal social media accounts and can’t take action against posts that are not unlawful, racist slurs do not represent or reflect UW–Madison values around creating an inclusive community,” (University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2023). 

The student captured in this video works as a CNA and has been pursuing a career in healthcare.  UW-Madison School of Nursing determined the student was not enrolled in one of their Nursing programs.  Therefore, school administrators are washing their hands of the situation by declaring no affiliation.

As a Nurse Scientist that studies re-traumatization caused by nurses responding to racialized and gendered experiences of violence, this is yet another example of nurses’ complacency in failing to address racialized trauma.  Where are nurse leaders at the local, state, and national level in responding to this situation?  Do we as a profession agree and find it acceptable to have someone that has caused detrimental harm to BIPOC Badgers (and BIPOC folks broadly) to be capable of providing basic nursing skills to those we serve safely? How does this represent our current and future workforce?  What does this say about our “commitments” to meeting the health needs of those we serve?  How does this impact efforts of building trusting relationships with communities with a historical and ongoing record of being mistreated within healthcare and academic institutions?

To be clear, Audrey Godlewski and her friends viral hate video are not just a single isolated event.  Audrey Godlewski, and her friends, reflects the pervasive culture of hate that is taught to be acceptable in the social environment.  Racialized environments in academia and educational institutions are not only created, but they are sustained (Shahram, 2023).  This is recognized in one report released by the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing (2022), which focuses on the impact of racism across the nursing profession including academia and education.

Despite this recognition, Madison-educated nurses claim a prestigious commitment to excellence while washing their hands of systemic and interpersonal racism in their backyard. How can they do both?

I say to anti-racist Madisonian scholars, specifically in Nursing, “Where are you?”.  Your silence is violence. If you’re going to be using “anti-racist” frameworks to further your own professional trajectory as a White or White-passing nurse, why have you not taken action? 

Throughout my trajectory in nursing, a trajectory that started in Madison, I have watched other Audrey Godlewski’s next to me excel in this profession.  Not because they were innately “meant” to be a nurse, but because the social structures starting with nursing education are designed to support White nurses.

So where can we go from here?  We can start by revoking Audrey Godlewski’s CNA license.  We can start by developing specific guidelines requiring nurses to demonstrate their ability to be anti-racist.  Join us this Saturday, May 20th at Reckoning with Racism in Nursing to discuss next steps.

References

Escott, G. & Goldhaber, N.  (2023).  ‘We f-ed up’: ASM apologizes as Students Blast UW-Madison Leaders            for Racist Video Response.  Retrieved from https://www.dailycardinal.com/article/2023/05/we-      fed-up-asm-apologizes-as-students-blast-uw-madison-leaders-for-racist-video-response

National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing.  (2022).  Retrieved from             https://www.nursingworld.org/~49c4d0/globalassets/practiceandpolicy/workforce/commission -to-address-racism/racism-in-nursing-report-series.pdf

Shahram S. Z. (2023). Five ways ‘health scholars’ are complicit in upholding health inequities, and how to            stop. International journal for equity in health, 22(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-022-  01763-9

University of Wisconsin—Madison.  (2023).  UW-Madison responds to social media video.  Retrieved  from https://news.wisc.edu/uw-madison-responds-to-social-media-video/

About Ashley Ruiz

I am currently a Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Arizona State University. I earned my PhD in Nursing, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. The research I am focusing on examines the healthcare response to Black and Indigenous women’s experiences of sexual assault. Specifically, the research I am continuing examines interactions in healthcare that cause secondary victimization (re-traumatization) to survivors of sexual assault.

See also my blog post on Nursology.net from October 2022, title “A Pinay’s Reflection“.