The National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing and the American Nurses Association Commend Documentary Film “Everybody’s Work: Healing What Hurts Us All.”
MEDIA CONTACT: NewsRoom@ana.org
SILVER SPRING, MD – The National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing (the Commission) and the American Nurses Association (ANA) celebrate the achievement of awareness, advocacy and recognition that is SHIFT’s documentary film “Everybody’s Work: Healing What Hurts Us All,” which examines the hidden disease of systemic racism plaguing health care in the United States. Through the lens of fearless nurses, the film not only exposes the biases that result in worse health care outcomes for people of color, but it captures the painful impact they have — both on patients and nurses.
Featured in the documentary are past ANA President Ernest J. Grant, PhD, DSc(Hon), RN, FAAN and ANA Senior Director of Nursing Programs Katie Boston-Leary, PhD, MBA, MHA, RN, NEA-BC alongside Commissioners Kenya V. Beard, EdD, AGACNP-BC, ANEF, FAAN; Taloa Birdshead, RN; Lucinda Canty, PhD, CNM, FACNM; Kim Kim, MSN, RN, CDCES ; and Anna Maria Valdez, PhD, RN, CEN, CNE, CFRN, FAEN, FAADN among other inspiring nurses who use their positions in workplaces, schools, and organizations across the country to fight for health justice.
Following the premiere of the film on May 10 in Washington, D.C., a panel discussion took place featuring the film subjects and subject matter experts on the topic. “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for,” said ANA Senior Director of Nursing Programs Katie Boston-Leary following the screening. “This is not for anybody else to do. It would be a privilege to see all of this work realized, and if I’m not around to see it, I know we have something to show the generations that came after us that we did something.”
The Commission urges all nurses across every health care setting and environment to join in boldly confronting individual and systemic racism. Nurses need to take the time to educate themselves on this issue to gain a deeper knowledge of racism’s impact on the profession, patients, and colleagues.
The documentary is now available for private screenings following its release in May. For more information on “Everybody’s Work” and how to request a screening, visit EverybodysWork.com.
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The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the premier organization representing the interests of the nation's more than 5 million registered nurses. ANA advances the profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting a safe and ethical work environment, bolstering the health and wellness of nurses, and advocating on health care issues that affect nurses and the public. ANA is at the forefront of improving the quality of health care for all. For more information, visit www.nursingworld.org.
The National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing (the Commission) examines the persistent problem of racism within nursing and describes the impact on nurses, patients, communities, and health care systems to motivate all nurses to confront systemic racism. The work is urgent to create safe and liberating environments for all nurses as well as a profession that exemplifies inclusivity, diversity, and equity. The Commission is comprised of leading nursing organizations that represent a broad continuum of nursing practice, ethnically diverse groups, nationally and in regions across the country and who have for years raised their individual voices to condemn all forms of racism within our society.