Following up from the first “unveiling” of the video stories from participants in our “Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing,” this zoom gathering will feature three thematic films that feature the storytellers.* The themes are “Racism in Nursing Education-Undergrad”, “Caring Against the Grain” and “Patient Race Bias”. After viewing the films, participants will engage with one another to discuss paths forward to create change.

When: Monday, October 17, 2022, 1:00pm to 4:00pm Eastern

American Sign Language and Live Captioning will be provided.

Register Here

*Made possible by Seedworks Social Justice Foundation.

2022-23 Theme

*Beyond Apology

*Moving Forward

*Taking Action

We return for our “Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing” discussions on September 24, 2022 at 4 PM Eastern, continuing monthly on the last Saturday of every month!  Our discussions will again be hosted by Lucinda Canty, PhD, CNM, FACNM and will begin with a critical reflection on the recent apology issued by the American Nurses Association (download PDF here). Our discussions continue to be guided by our “Principles of Reckoning” (see below) with the focus in the coming year on developing our own solutions so that we can take action! 

Register here:

• When: Sep 24, 2022 04:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) 
• Register in advance for this meeting:
  • https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIsfuqvqj0vH9JON1ORt26hQuu6miVr5etp
• After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting

Principles of Reckoning

All of the activities related to “Overdue Reckoning” are guided by our Principles of Reckoning, which take a bold anti-racist stand for nursing. Our principles are:

• We claim the courage to join together through the experience of building our anti-racist capacity in nursing.
• We cherish the contributions and honor the voices of Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other Nurses of Color, and yield the floor to those voices throughout our time together.
• We recognize that we cannot move forward without a deep understanding of Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other nurses of color experiences with racism.
• The insights and recommendations of Black, Indigenous, Latinx and other nurses of color are vital to ground our thinking, and to guide our actions.
• We pledge to listen deeply and with respect to any and all expressions of anger, rage, despair and grief arising from racism.
• We commit to healing those harmed by racism.
• We commit to challenging, resisting and ending the voices and actions that sustain white privilege.
• We seek to nurture authentic anti-racist awareness.
• We will inspire and nurture action, as we boldly claim an anti-racist identity for nursing.

During the past week, President Biden announced his choice for U.S. Treasurer! Here are highlights featuring her many accomplishments!

Chief Mutáwi Mutáhash (Many Hearts) Marilynn “Lynn” Malerba

• Became the 18th Chief of the Mohegan Tribe in 2010, a lifetime position.
• Follows in footsteps of many strong female role models in the Mohegan Tribe, including her mother, Loretta Roberge, who holds the position of Tribal Nonner (elder female of respect) as well as her great-grandfather Chief Matagha.
• Prior to becoming Chief, Malerba served as Chairwoman of the Tribal Council, and performed in Tribal Government as Executive Director of Health and Human Services. 
• Questioned why federal policy continues to severely underfund Indian Health resulting in diminished health status and quality of life with a life expectancy below that of mainstream America for our first peoples in her DNP project at Yale
• Authored “The Effects of Sequestration on Indian Health Funding” in the Hastings Center Report in 2013, providing background for in American Indian Health and Nursing (edited by Margaret P. Moss, Springer Publishing Company) in 2016.
• A leader in the return of hundreds of sacred objects to the Mohegan Tribe and Tantaquidgeon Museum in Uncasville, Connecticut In 2018, restoring wholeness to the Mohegan people.
• Testified in 2020 before the Connecticut Senate in favor of teaching children the history from the perspective of the first peoples of Connecticut who were harmed by colonization, instead of “Manifest Destiny” perspective.
• Chaired the Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee of the Indian Health Service Secretary for the United South and Eastern Tribes board, is a member of the Justice Department’s Tribal Nations Leadership Council, NIH and Treasury Tribal Advisory Committees.
• Named in 2022 the first Native American U.S Treasurer and first overseer of the Office of Tribal and Native Affairs at the Treasury Department.
• The first in Tribal leader and Native woman in history whose signature [will be] penned on U.S Currency, along with Janet Yellen’s signature.

Obama accepted the “Rhythm of the Land” blanket as Chief Lynn Malerba helped drape President Barack Obama in a blanket at the White House Tribal Nations Conference in 2016 During a moving ceremony that showcased the diversity of Indian Country. Photo credit: Pete Souza.

“The blanket continues as a standard of exchange; and as a gift, the blanket is an important acknowledgement of friendship, gratitude, and respect.” (Source) Also see Kapoun R.W. with Lohrmann, C.J. (1992). Language of the Robe. Peregrine Smith Books, p. 19.

More Information

Malerba, M. (2013). The Effects of Sequestration on Indian Health. Hastings Center Report, 43: 17-21.     https://doi.org/10.1002/hast.229

Malerba, Marilynn (2015).  “Indian Health Funding: Time For Change” Yale School of Nursing Digital        Theses. 1037. https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/ysndt/1037

Malerba, Marilynn (2016).  Northeastern Woodlands .In Moss, M.P. American Indian health and nursing (Moss, Ed.). Springer Publishing Company.  

Education Committee of the State of Connecticut Public Hearing Friday, March 6, 2020. Testimony of      Chief Mutáwi Mutáhash (Many Hearts) Marilynn “Lynn” Malerba Chief of the Mohegan Tribe, In Support of S.B. No. 314 An Act Concerning the Inclusion of Native American Studies In The Social Studies Curriculum. https://www.cga.ct.gov/2020/eddata/tmy/2020SB-00314-R000306-Malerba,%20Marilynn,%20Chief-The%20Mohegan%20Tribe-Support-TMY.PDF

Indian Health Service (IHS) Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee (Tsgac) Quarterly Meeting
March 28-29, 2017 https://www.tribalselfgov.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/TSGAC_Combined_Packet_March2017.pdf

The Mohegan Tribe: Our Current Chief Marilynn “Lynn” Malerba, Lifetime Chief.

Yale Peabody Museum (ND). The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.             https://peabody.yale.edu/explore/collections/anthropology/native-american-graves-protection-repatriation-act

Yale School of Nursing (ND). Yale Nursing’s Malerba ’15 DNP Will Make History as First Native American US Treasurer https://nursing.yale.edu/news/yale-nursings-malerba-15-dnp-will-make-history-first-native-american-us-treasurer

Those who have participated in the “Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing” have heard mention of “the documentary” that has been underway since our beginning, a project made possible by Sue Hagedorn who is a co-author of the “Nursing Manifesto” and a documentary film-maker. Now it is published and available to all on the “Reckoning with Racism in Nursing” website!

There are videos of 40 individual conversations – nurses of color sharing their experiences of racism and their hopes for the future, and 3 thematic explorations that address undergraduate education, the dynamics of racism in relation to patient care, and patient race-bias. The individual conversations address a broad range of issues, including the challenges of living in a duality of cultures, race-based bias in nursing and healthcare, reasons for the persistence of racism in nursing, and ideas for creating an anti-racist future.

The leadership group on the project includes our “Overdue” host Lucinda Canty, and participants Frankie Manning, Gayle Robinson, Sue Hagedorn, Melissa Mokel and Raeann LeBlanc. The project was funded and produced through the generous support of Seedworks Films, and produced in conjunction with StoryCenter, an international participatory media organization. The StoryCenter staff who produced the films are Sharon Latimer-Mosley, Joe Lambert, Jonny Chang, and Armand Jayne.

We are thrilled with this dimension of our “Overdue” work! But our work is far from over! We have taken “time off” for the summer, but we will resume our active project work in September! Watch our “Overdue” page for more information, and join our email lists for more information going forward!

Contributor: Rebekah J. Salt

In the United States, as of May, there were 212 reported mass shootings, and the number is steadily rising (Diaz, 2022). In 2019, there were verified 417 mass shootings, 610 in 2020, and 692 in 2021 (Gun Violence Archive, 2022). In 2021 of the 692, a reported 34 of those were in educational institutions (Education Week, 2022).

The Uvalde massacre of 19 innocent little souls and their two dedicated teachers once again caused me to reflect on my purpose and future as an educator. I am saturated and weary of the constant excuses, propaganda, and proposals of strategies that are geared toward imprisoning us in the institutions that were designed to liberate us. I started my graduate journey 25 years ago idealistic and community health focused. My university did not train me to be a combat soldier!

My university taught me to unpack my philosophical backpack. They challenged me to consider my privilege, to explore injustice and inequity, and to advocate for vulnerable populations. I refuse to repack that backpack with the status quo. My university taught me to navigate with a social justice lens and to train nurses to provide compassionate, safe, and culturally sensitive care. My university did not train me to be an assault weapons specialist.

My university taught me boots-on-the-ground strategies and prevention. They trained me to operationalize a community-based approach that promotes health and well-being. I was taught to leave the world a better place than I found it. My university did not train me to be a combat strategist.

My university taught me how to navigate a public health crisis. They trained me to collaborate, educate, vaccinate, and protect students, patients, and the public against threats like  SARS-CoV-2. My university did not train me in combat maneuvers to protect students, patients, and the public from bullets.

I refuse to carry a backpack filled with fear and despair. Right now, I do not know how this latest mass shooting will affect policy or if anyone will listen, but what I do know is that my university did not train me to be a combat solider!

Sources

Diaz, J. (2022, May 25). 27 school shootings have taken place so far this year. https://www.npr.org/2022/05/24/1101050970/2022-school-shootings-so-far

Education Week. (2022, May 25). School shootings this year. How many and where. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/leadership/school-shootings-this-year-how-many-and-where/2022/01

Gun Violence Archive. (2022). Gun violence archives. Past summary ledgers. https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/past-tolls

About Rebekah Salt

Dr. Salt brings 39 years of nursing experience to her current role as an educator and nurse researcher. She earned a master’s degree in Cross Cultural and Community Health Nursing and a PhD in nursing, focusing on social determinants of health. Dr. Salt teaches community health and works with vulnerable populations using a Community-Based Participatory Research and community engaged approach. Her work has been disseminated in peer-reviewed journals and at regional, national, and international conferences.