Building bridges and capacity for Black, Indigenous, and scholars of color in the era of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter

Abstract

Background There is a critical need to increase diversity in the nursing workforce to better address racial health disparities. Purpose To provide academic institutions with practical recommendations to foster a collaborative environment and essential resources for and in support of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) scholars. Methods We examine the experiences of three Black nurse scholars, at a research-intensive university in an urban area during the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest in the United States. Findings Findings suggest barriers exist, which negatively impact workplace climate, collaboration and mentoring for BIPOC nursing scholars. Guided by a Black feminist perspective and utilizing existing literature, we recommend strategies to enhance workplace climate, to develop culturally aware collaboration, and to center mentoring as the foundation for BIPOC nurse scholar success. Discussion This article acknowledges that a crucial step in addressing health disparities is successful support of and collaboration with BIPOC nurse scholars.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceived publication pressure among academic researchers in Canada

“…This is also consistent with past literature documenting the absence of underrepresented minority scholars in academia [46][47][48]. Other groups have identi ed strategies to support Black, Indigenous, and other underrepresented minority scholars within the academy during COVID-19, acknowledging the barriers stemming from systematic racism and the disproportionately negative impact of COVID-19 [49][50][51]. Thus, administrators will need to draw on the recommendation of these research groups when designing resources to support Black, Indigenous, and other underrepresented minority researchers.…”

Strategies to address structural and institutional barriers to success among students of color in nursing programs

“…The growing trend in nursing to establish officers for diversity, equity, and inclusion within colleges of nursing is an important step. However, there is a tendency to place all the responsibilities of “diversity” at the feet of individuals ( Crooks et al, 2021b ). That is tokenism, and the moral and ethical urgency of this moment in time requires more from our nursing educational institutions than “diversity box-checking” ( Crooks et al, 2021a ).…”

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceived publication pressure among academic researchers in Canada

“…72.3% of respondents identified as white, which is consistent with past surveys of Canadian researchers [ 30 , 57 , 58 ]. Other groups have identified strategies to support Black, Indigenous, and other underrepresented minority scholars within the academy during COVID-19, acknowledging the barriers stemming from systematic racism and the disproportionately negative impact of COVID-19 [ 59 – 62 ]. Administrators should draw on the findings of such studies when designing resources to support Black, Indigenous, and other underrepresented minority researchers.…”