The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 report outlines recommendations in “Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity.” To transform nursing education, we must “cultivate inclusive learning environments that acknowledge and challenge racism in all aspects of nursing education and practice.” To that end there are ongoing efforts within the School of Nursing to engage in dialogue about race, racism, and the resulting racial inequities through events hosted by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
Racial inequities in health, education, and other systems in the United States persist in 2021, making it essential for nurses to understand and challenge the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and institutional factors that contribute to sustaining these inequities.
Through education, scholarship and discourse, we celebrate the dimensions of diversity and strive to foster an inclusive environment where all feel welcome and valued while we work for more equitable systems that allow us all to flourish.
See below for relevant projects and opportunities to become part of the force for positive change here at the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing.
Faculty/Staff Book Club…Now the ART Club
Started in the spring of 2018, our faculty & staff book club created a space for faculty and staff to learn/unlearn concepts and processes related to race and racism. It also provided time and space to collectively reflect on our experiences and uncover and challenge assumptions that influence our ways of thinking and acting in our professional roles as members of the UT Austin School of Nursing and broader community.
Fall 2021 brings a new focus to the Book Club, Anti-Racist Teaching (ART), hence the name change. It remains open to all UTSON faculty and staff because we are always teaching by what we say and do (or don’t say or do). We meet on the fourth Wednesday of the month from 12-1. While we encourage everyone to complete the recommended readings, it is not required to join us. This year we will be working through Derald Wing Sue’s Race Talk: The conspiracy of silence and collectively annotating articles about specific anti-racist teaching strategies using Hypothes.is through our Canvas course.
Previous readings include:
Movie Night
The purpose of our Movie Night is to bring together students, faculty, staff, and the broader community on and off campus to view and discuss a film that examines some aspect of race and racism. Movie night is co-hosted annually, usually in the spring semester, by the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and Nurses for Racial Justice (a student organization). Popcorn and other snacks are provided, as well as a discussion guide to help facilitate small-group reflection and large group discussion about broader societal implications as well as implications related to health and health care, specifically.
Viewings include:
- Spring 2020: Black Bodies, a documentary by Charlotte Moore, award winning writer, journalist and blogger from right here in Austin. This film is a part of her larger Black Bodies Project, with a vision to eradicate racism through creativity, connection and collective understanding. For more details and to RSVP to attend, see the Movie Night page.
- Spring 2019: White Like Me: Race, racism and white privilege (a documentary based on the book of the same title that “explores race and racism in the United States through the lens of whiteness and white privilege”) by Tim Wise. Viewing/Discussion Guide (PDF)
- Spring 2018: 13th (a documentary about mass incarceration in the United States, and its disproportionate impact on black and brown communities) by Ava DuVernay. Viewing/Discussion Guide (PDF)
Integrated Behavioral Health Scholars Program
The Integrated Behavioral Health (IBH) Scholars Program at The University of Texas at Austin is an innovative cross-campus collaboration of Dell Medical School, the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, School of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, Department of Psychology, Department of Educational Psychology and Texas Child Study Center. The program’s goal is to build a diverse and culturally competent behavioral health workforce with expertise in delivering integrated behavioral care, particularly to underserved Texans.
All IBH scholars participate in a competency-based curriculum focused on developing skills in integrated care, interprofessional practice and cultural competence. This includes hands-on training alongside care providers in Central Texas.
Contact Information
Email: DEI@nursing.utexas.edu