“Dismantling structural racism: Nursing must not be caught on the wrong side of history”

Abstract

Nursing must not be caught on the wrong side of history" "There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks when decades happen."attributed to Vladimir Ilyich Lenin This is a watershed moment in history that could change everything. How could we consider writing about leadership programmes, workforce, educational levels, clinical hours, or the like, at a time like this? We are almost halfway through the 2020 'International Year of the Nurse and Midwife' (IYNM) and already what might once have been the solid ground of an IYNM editorial is now shifting sands under our feet. Nurses from diverse backgrounds, countries, and structural positions, but with a shared global concern, have come together here to call for an immediate challenging and dismantling of the views, behaviours, and organizational structures that have supported, perpetuated, and enabled the racism, injustices, and inequities that still pervade much of nursing and health care. Such racism has often made services and organizations unwelcoming and unsafe places for Black Asian and Minority Ethnic/Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BAME/BIPOC) nurses.

Dr Irihapeti Ramsden's powerful argument for cultural safety: Kawa Whakaruruhau

“…The profession of nursing is challenged today to dismantle racism and discrimination as well as those ideologies that maintain them (Moorley et al, 2020).…”

Beyond 2020: Addressing racism through transformative Indigenous health and cultural safety education

“…As Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives, we continue this ancestral tradition as part of the oldest continuing cultures on the planet (Australian Government, 2017). We stand with those globally who call for truth telling of nursing and midwifery wrongs to Indigenous peoples (Barber, 1999; Brookes & Nuku, 2020; Carey et al, 2020; Moorley et al, 2020; Stake‐Doucet, 2020).…”

Commitment to Positive Change: Structural Anti-racism Audit of Nursing Education Programs

“…While we considered submitting a typical scholarly work for this journal special edition, we see the relevance of offering an open letter to the editor with signatures from our Nursing colleagues to convey support for action regarding antiracism in Nursing education. Amidst many opportunities to create positive change and examine systemic anti-racist decolonial practices (Moorley et al, 2020), we are advocating for concrete action at the root of Nursing education programs by way of a structural anti-racism audit.…”

“…Based on decolonial and antiracist theory (Garneau et al, 2018;Gaudry & Lorenz, 2018;Kendi, 2019;McGibbon & Etowa, 2009), we propose to engage in systems-level action (McGowan et al, 2020;Mulgan, 2006;van Wijk et al, 2018) and examine institutional structures through an anti-racist framework (Sutton, 2002) based on audit processes for equity, diversity, and inclusion (Chun & Evans, 2019;Olson, 2020;Skrla et al, 2004;Skrla et al, 2009;Zion, et al, 2020). Structures within and influencing curriculum, pedagogy, evaluation will be examined to advance systems-level anti-racist practices and policies (Moorley et al, 2020) with Nursing students, faculty, staff, leadership as a foundation for equitable Nursing education and care (National Collaborating Centre for the Determinants of Health, 2014). This antiracist approach to Nursing education reform promises to address the pernicious harms of discrimination in the healthcare system, as noted in a recent report on Indigenous-specific racism (Turpel-Lafonde, 2020).…”