Racism in Nursing

Racism is a longstanding public health crisis that impacts mental, spiritual and physical health. The Nursing Code of Ethics demands that we, as nurses, accept and care for people as they are.

However, within the profession of nursing, we have failed to be antiracist. 63% of nurses say they have personally experienced an act of racism in the workplace. ANA acknowledges our own role in perpetuating racism through our past actions and omissions.

ANA is fully committed to a journey of reckoning and of seeking reconciliation, forgiveness, and healing. We will focus on our work and the experience in the nursing profession as a whole.

Racism Defined

Racism: Assaults on the human spirit in the form of actions, biases, prejudices, and an ideology of superiority based on race that persistently cause moral suffering and physical harm of individuals and perpetuate systemic injustices and inequities. (National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing, 2021)