There are so many initiatives that each of you can participate in, we have an educational arm, a legislative arm as I mentioned some of those initiatives above and we have other activities that we welcome you to participate in, such as our Nurses 5K run happening May 18th, 2024. Various committees and chapters can also use your gifts and talents. And if you want us to consider other opportunities for membership engagement, please let us know. We are stronger together and when we support each other we can create a nursing community in this state that is strong and a force to be reckoned with.
I had a wonderful opportunity this past December to participate in a Leadership Summit and I am still beaming with excitement from the opportunity to network with other state leaders and what I have learned. One thing I would like to share is that as leaders we must embody a clear vision of what we are doing and why. As leaders in our profession, we should all have a vision of what we are doing and why because it allows us to remain clear in the journey no matter what obstacles or challenges, we face. When we have a collective vision then we are stronger, and I believe we can achieve anything together.
In June 2022, I was able to attend ANAs (American Nurses Association) membership assembly where I heard Dr. Ernest Grant read the racial reckoning statement. Even now as I reflect on that day, I can still remember how I felt listening to the words that were read aloud by Dr. Grant. I felt sadness and joy at the same time. Sadness because of how nurses of color were treated, and joy in ANA’s acknowledgement and remorse of their role in perpetuating racism in nursing. As a result, ANA (American Nurses Association) has taken major steps to rectify this wrong including changes to the strategic plan, providing ongoing education and resources to address racism in nursing.
The mission of the South Carolina Nurses Association is to represent all South Carlina registered nurses in a membership organization to promote and advocate the role of the registered nurse to improve health for all. To fulfill this mission, it is now time for us to follow ANA’s lead in reviewing our history and take the necessary steps to visit our past, acknowledge it, and heal. As leaders in the healthcare environment, it is fitting that we lead the charge to address racism in nursing in our state. To move forward we must do the work and review our nursing history. To embark on this journey together we must be able to acknowledge the history of nursing in our state and assess where we fell short in honoring our commitment to the profession. I hope that you all will join us on this journey.
Finally, I am proud of what we do and the care and service we provide every day. And I am hopeful that this year will bring continued growth and support for our profession through the work that we do together.
