Remember when Rev Al Sharpton interviewed ANA VP Cheryl Peterson?

Transcript: Rev Al Sharpton, MSNBC Politics Nation - July 23, 2022 

Rev Sharpton - Welcome back to Politics Nation. The American Nurses Association took a historic move this month issuing a formal apology to nurses of color and publicly acknowledging organizations, the organization's history of systemic racism. In the apology letter, the organization promised to account for past and persisting racism, to seek forgiveness, and to reconcile with other ethnic nurse organizations and associations. Joining me now is Cheryl Peterson, the American Nurses Association Vice President of Nursing Programs. Thank you for joining me today. Um, Ms. Peterson, the American Nurses Association's apology letter to Nurses of Color highlights some noteworthy and concerning statistics in a study conducted by the National Commission to address racism in nursing last fall, 63% of nurses surveyed say they have personally experienced an act of racism in the workplace, and 50% of nurses say racism in the workplace has negatively impacted their professional wellbeing. The study looked at trends in the profession over decades. Why is issued this apology now? 

Ms. Peterson - Yeah. Thank you so much for inviting, uh, me to be on your show. Really. Um, following the murder of George Floyd, the American Nurses Association did partner with the National Black Nurses Association and the National Association of Hispanic Nurses, the National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurses Associations, and we launched the National Commission to address racism in nursing. It is through this effort that the American Nurses Association realized that in order for us to be credible leaders in addressing racism in nursing, we needed to look to at ourselves as a professional association that is 126 years old. We needed to repair our relationship with nurses of color and the organizations stepped into that breach when we failed to represent the interests of their members and the needs of communities of color. So we consider the release of this statement really as the start of a journey. A journey that we are committed to, and one that is absolutely necessary to address and repair fractures within the profession that can impact our ability to provide appropriate care to all people. It's a start. 

Rev Sharpton - It's a start. But, but we also have to acknowledge that there is a past here, and as you said, you're dealing with many years and I'm a minister, I believe in repenting, but you also have to deal with repairing 'cause a lot of people's health could have been impacted by this. Uh, in the apology statement, the American Nurses Association is promising the work toward an equitable workplace. It also underlines the healthcare community's history with racism. For instance, how back in the sixties, exclusionary practices were used against nurses of color. Talk to me more about this history and how this racism became so prevalent in the nursing profession. 

Ms. Peterson - Well, I don't know that nursing is probably any different than any other profession. We are choosing to address it because we know that racist views, policies, and behaviors have over many years been unchallenged and unchanged by those in power. We also know that they've been systemically normalized into society and more specifically into healthcare, the nursing profession as part of society, and a significant part of the healthcare system has participated in perpetuating racist views. So in May, the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing published a series of reports that take a pretty unvarnished view of how racism shows up in nursing's history and contemporary nursing, and through four focus areas of practice, education, research, and policy. And the purpose of this is to shine a very bright light on the problem of racism in nursing so that we can begin to address it and to guide the ways in which we do this work. 

Rev Al Sharpton - Yeah. But, racism was - I hear your statement and you look like you're reading, uh, and I appreciate all of what you're trying to say here, but it is not like just everybody else. You're dealing with life and death situations here, Ms. Peterson, that have impact on people we're talking about for decades on nurses of color and the patients that suffered from this - research from Health Affairs highlights that lack of equitable access to healthcare, quality healthcare, of systematic racism in healthcare policy, which favors the white population and disadvantages others. So moving forward, what tangible actions can the American Nurses Association take to address this problem? And how do you repair the damage already done? 

Ms. Peterson - Yes. Well, we aren't gonna be able to repair, we are hoping that people will see this apology as a step toward a form of, of reckoning and towards a form of forgiveness. So how can we then take that forward and improve the profession writ large? So how are we going to work together with our colleagues, with our ethnic and minority nurse organizations? And ultimately, if we address the problem within the profession, address the problem within nursing, then we believe that it will have a ripple effect and will have an improved care and address health inequities. It's gonna take us a while. It's taken us a while to get here and we step into this space, um, as humbly as we can, as we work with our colleagues of color who we have know that we harmed who we are asking for forgiveness from, and who we seek to partner to move forward to strengthen the profession. There is nobody who comes into the healthcare system that doesn't have some point of contact with nursing. 

Rev Al Sharpton - That's my point. If -

Ms. Peterson - We can work with nursing and change nurses and do better, we will do better for healthcare and for patients of color. 

Rev Al Sharpton - No. That is my point in working with these other organizations. Associations can help you get there, but I do not want, clearly when you ask for forgiveness. With forgiveness also comes accountability. And I don't wanna minimize the untold impact and effects that this could have had and I know has had on families down through the decades. You can always ask for forgiveness, but you also must be accountable for the damage done. Cheryl Peterson, thank you for coming on and reading your answers to me tonight.

Related: A White Nurse’s Response to the ANA Apology

"I have written in anger. And grave displeasure at what you, ANA, have so proudly(!) produced – and continue to propagate. This document serves the white patriarchal dominant culture. It, in fact, serves to perpetuate – and strengthen – the systems of oppression. Tokenism on boards and staffs of professional associations, healthcare organizations, and educational institutions does not belie the immense harm that a document such as ANA’s Statement perpetuates."

Related: A Black Nurse’s Reaction to the ANA Apology

"Everything about the ANA’s Racial Reckoning Statement is anonymous. There is no indication of who actually wrote any of this — the racial reckoning statement or the FAQs. Who from the ANA wrote the Racial Reckoning statement? Who wrote the questions and responses in the FAQs? The statement made frequent use of anonymous quotes. Accountability requires agency. To demonstrate that one is ready for action, you cannot hide behind anonymity."