NNVAWI stands with the Black community

Structural violence against Black, Brown, Indigenous and racialized peoples is pervasive across all of our communities and countries. Sexual assault and intimate partner violence also disproportionately affect women of colour. NNVAWI strongly condemns violence perpetrated by individuals, organizations, institutions and governments.

Racism and discrimination are social determinants of health and significantly contribute to health and social inequities. As a global community of nurses and midwives we have a responsibility to identify, describe and resist racism and then work to dismantle it. Antiracist work is a nursing and midwifery intervention.

Not sure where to start?

Reflect. Invest time and focused energy to do your own work to identify your privilege and your own discomforts.

Listen. Actively listen to the lived experiences of Black, Indigenous and racialized peoples.

Read about racism. Initiate a book club with one friend or many, your faculty colleagues, research team, graduate students, or clinical teams to discuss the books and engage in difficult conversations about implicit bias.

Talk about race, racism, and protests with the next generation.

Study how violence impacts health outcomes among racialized women.

Decolonize nursing and midwifery curriculum and practice.

Know what Indigenous land you live and work on, do research and understand the peoples who occupied that land before you did.

Donate to social justice and legal reform groups in your community fighting against racism and white supremacy.

Understand biases in research. Develop ethical standards to collect high-quality data to measure health inequalities across racialized groups.

Take risks and intervene in situations where racism or harassment is occurring.