NCNA Looks Back At Its Racial History Part 3: 1980-Today, An Era Of Racial Progress

Editor’s Note: As part of the Board of Directors’ new strategic priority, Relentless Inclusion, the North Carolina Nurses Association is spending much of 2023 on a multipronged effort to address racism within the nursing profession. A significant part of that effort includes owning and reckoning with the association’s own racist past. NCNA asked Dr. Phoebe Pollitt, Vice Chair of the Nursing History Council, to take the lead on a series of articles for the Tar Heel Nurse examining the association’s formation, evolution, and examples of events that could and should have been handled differently. Over the last 121 years, NCNA’s culture has evolved from racial exclusion and discrimination to striving for racial inclusion, equity, and diversity. NCNA leaders and members are undertaking efforts to address the substantial challenges faced by minority nurses in North Carolina, while recognizing the strength and determination nurses of color have exhibited under difficult circumstances for over a century. Only by having a diverse, inclusive nursing workforce in North Carolina can NCNA meet its goals of serving the changing needs of its members, addressing nursing issues, and advocating for the health and well-being of all people. Reflections from NCNA leaders of color, along with archival materials, document slow but steady progress towards a more diverse and inclusive association.