Dear School of Nursing Community,
Today we mark Juneteenth, Emancipation Day. Originating in Galveston, TX, in 1865 and celebrating the end of slavery, Juneteenth has also been known as Emancipation Day. This year we mark Juneteenth as a national, federal holiday and while we have come so far since Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, we cannot underestimate the work that still needs to be done.
Black Americans continue to experience persistent systemic challenges, including the racial wealth gap, disproportionate incarceration, and countless persistent health disparities.
According to the Center for American Progress, Black Americans:
- Have an infant mortality rate that is double that of the national average
- Have the highest mortality rate for all cancers combined compared with any other racial and ethnic group
- Receive less than half the amount of needed mental health care than non-Hispanic white adults
- Are 5% more likely to report having “poor” health
- Have almost double the rate of uninsured populations
As nurses and nurse leaders, we are on the frontlines of many of these challenges. Nurses often serve as the first and most consistent contact that patients have within the healthcare sector, whether it be in an organizational setting, or in community settings such as clinics, schools, churches, hospices, long term care facilities, and other points of accessing the health delivery system. As such, it is crucial that we tirelessly advocate a continued increase in access to quality health care. A foundation of nursing education is to treat all persons with dignity and respect, integral to that is standing up for equity and anti-oppression in all its forms.
As a society, we have made tremendous progress. Despite this, there is much work to be done as we view healthcare as a fundamental human right for all people.
With care and urgency,
Dr. Ken White
Dean and Professor
School of Nursing