I was recently cleaning my home office and discovered the 2019 ANAC Conference Program. A lot has changed since being together in Portland almost a year ago. Our global community has witnessed the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Our domestic COVID-19 response has been chaotic. Our fellow citizens, Black and African Americans, continue to be murdered by the police and individual citizens because of racism. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in June that the 1964 Civil Rights Act does protect LGBTQ persons from discrimination based on sex.

As I was looking through the 2019 program, I was reading my notes from the different sessions and came across some immensely powerful quotes from one of the sessions. It was early in the morning on Saturday, November 9, 2019, when attendees at the 2019 ANAC conference viewed the documentary, 5B. Three of the nurses-Cliff Morrison, Alison Moed, and Guy Vandenberg-who established and worked on the United States' first inpatient AIDS ward, unit 5B, at San Francisco General Hospital, were present. After viewing this poignant documentary, a panel discussion with these three nurses-the source of these immensely power quotes-was moderated by Bill Mannion.

"We are in a new era, there is a lot more work to be done."

Guy Vandenberg

In a press announcement on the opening day of the virtual AIDS2020 conference, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) declared that only 14 countries have achieved the 90-90-90 goals. As the press release highlighted,

"690 000 people died of AIDS-related illnesses last year and 12.6 million of the 38 million people living with HIV were not accessing the life-saving treatment[horizontal ellipsis]some 1.7 million people were newly infected with the virus, more than three times the global target. There has been progress in eastern and southern Africa, where new HIV infections have been reduced by 38% since 2010. This is in stark contrast to Eastern Europe and Central Asia, which has seen a staggering 72% rise in new HIV infections since 2010. New HIV infections have also risen in the Middle East and North Africa, by 22%, and by 21% in Latin America." (UNAIDS, 2020)

Clearly, these statistics indicate that "there is a lot more work to be done." As such, nearly 40 years into this epidemic, we need to recommit to making a difference to ensure that the 90-90-90 targets are achieved by 2030. We also need to remember that we are in an era where we must "feel strength and motivation that we can make a difference" (Guy Vandenberg, November 9, 2019). In every corner of the world, nurses are the largest cadre of health care workers. As such, now more than ever, we need to not only show up to work and be present but also be a visionary nurse and leader-just like Florence Nightingale, whose birth 200 years ago serves as the impetus for calling 2020 the Year of the Nurse and Midwife (World Health Organization [WHO], 2020).

"We need to know that we can change practice."

Cliff Morrison

During this Year of the Nurse and Midwife (WHO, 2020), Cliff Morrison's quote continues to remind us that we have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to change practice. With 62% of new infections occurring in key populations and their sexual partners (UNAIDS, 2020), we cannot wait any longer to change practice, to improve access to care, and to ensure that care in all settings is respectful and culturally congruent. With stigma and discrimination, coupled with ongoing social inequities and exclusion, proving to be key barriers to ending this epidemic, we cannot wait any longer. As stated by the Prime Minister of Eswatini, Ambrose Dlamini, "we cannot rest on our successes, nor be discouraged by setbacks. We must ensure that no one is left behind. We must close the gaps" (UNAIDS, 2020). As Cliff Morrison states, we must change practice.

As the current International Council of Nurses' (ICN) President, Annette Kennedy, stated, "together as nurses, we hold the power to influence, to drive change and to call for action" (ICN, n.d.). One of the positive outcomes of the current COVID-19 pandemic is the increased awareness brought to nursing. As such, together we need to leverage this increased awareness to ensure a global understanding of the critical impact nurses have on outcomes. Together, we need to ensure access to nurse-initiated PrEP for key populations and their sexual partners in every corner of the world. Together, we need to eradicate the structural and institutional racism that have for far too long resulted in inequities for Black and African Americans. Together, we need to change the status quo.

"Don't forget the power and importance of what one human being can do for another."

Alison Moed

This past year has been a challenging one. COVID-19 has reinforced that we are a global community. As a global community, as nurses, we need to come together to tackle the sustainable development goals-poverty, gender inequality, climate action, hunger, peace and justice, quality education-as well as emerging infectious diseases that impact us all, not only today but for decades to come if we do not do something now.

The 20 million nurses around the world are incredibly powerful. Daily, individual nurses in every corner of the world are demonstrating their power and the importance of what one human being-one nurse-can do for another. Now, more than ever, we as nurses need to lead-whether at the bedside, in the clinic, in the community, in the academic setting, and yes, even in parliament or government. Now, more than ever, nursing must step forward and lead. As Cliff Morrison stated last November, "let's get the hell out there and do it."

Disclosures

The author reports no real or perceived vested interests related to this article that could be construed as a conflict of interest.

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