"Today, there is a violent struggle for equal rights. Minority groups, most pronouncedly the Negro, are trying to assert their rights as American citizens to receive and enjoy all the opportunities and benefits offered by a growing and affluent society as ours. We must bear the responsibility along with millions of others of ensuring equal opportunities to all in housing, education, and employment. In a baccalaureate speech given 12 years ago, a professor told the Princeton graduating class, 'America has need of thousands of leaders who will never be elected President or even a governor of a state or president of a professional society, but who, quietly and without ostentation, nevertheless will exert true leadership in their several walks of life.' There are some future leaders among you today who will emerge in their own walks of life and work for the improvement of our society. However, if you are not a strong and forceful leader, be a trusted and devoted follower. Be involved in those efforts which are for the betterment of all conditions." -Jamesetta Alexander, 1968
Living with racism
The words are not polished or structurally accurate but they reflect the thoughts and feelings of a young Negro girl ready to venture into the world beyond the segregated town in which she grew up. This is an excerpt from the high school commencement address I delivered to my classmates 47 years ago-an audience that was 95% White.
The troubling question is why do these words ring true today? The horrific murder of nine Black worshippers in a church in Charleston, S.C., on June 17, 2015, is yet another reminder that racial prejudice is still a problem in the United States.
Growing up in the North during the turbulent 50s and 60s, I was removed from the daily transparent racism prevalent in the South during that time. I was, however, acutely aware that I belonged to a group that was viewed as "less than." Subtle reminders occurred daily: the only Black child in the class, teachers would refer to me as, "the girl in the red sweater" (or whatever I was wearing that day) instead of by my name; White children yelled derogatory names at me as I walked through their neighborhoods to go to the library; I had no social interaction with classmates beyond academic-related activities. I lived in two separate worlds-school and the rest of my life. Making sense of human interactions requires lifelong learning.
Equality in nursing
How do we as nurses deal with prejudice and racism, whether from within or outside ourselves? We are taught to look beyond our personal biases and treat everyone equally, regardless of situation, whether we are in a clinical, educational, professional, or personal environment. But in reality, we must make a deliberate effort to acknowledge the difficulties in achieving an unbiased approach. Nurses are held to a different standard than the general public and even other professionals; we have been voted the most trusted profession (honesty and ethics) every year except one since 1999. Honesty implies truthfulness, and moral principles and values dictate behaviors.
With training and experience, one can successfully control and not disclose personal biases. But unexpected events, such as those occurring too often across our nation, can stir remembrances that cause us to lose that tightly constructed control. Then, how do we respond to the human condition after these incidents? Never forget the Charleston Nine and "be involved in those efforts which are for the betterment of all conditions."
Jamesetta Newland, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, FAANP, DPNAP
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF [email protected]