American Nurses Association Honors Work to Address Racism in Nursing, Seven nurse leaders receive the 2022 President’s Award
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Keziah Proctor, keziah.proctor@ana.org
Shannon McClendon, shannon.mcclendon@ana.org
SILVER SPRING, MD – The American Nurses Association (ANA) presented seven extraordinary nurse leaders with the 2022 President’s Award at a ceremony on June 9. The ANA President’s Award recognizes significant contributions to the contemporary advancement of ANA’s strategic activities on behalf of registered nurses and the nursing profession. ANA President Ernest J. Grant, PhD, RN, FAAN, presented the awards during the ceremony that preceded the association’s Membership Assembly meeting June 10-11 in Washington, DC.
This year’s recipients were honored for their outstanding efforts to advance inclusivity, promote equity and diversity, and address the issue of racism in the nursing profession.
The 2022 recipients are:
- Karen Daley, PhD, RN, FAAN, Board Member, American Nurses Foundation:
During her tenure as ANA President, Dr. Daley had the vision to leverage the combined strength of ANA, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and the American Nurses Foundation (the Foundation) to create the ANA Enterprise. She currently serves on the Foundation Board, where she helped lead dramatic growth in annual fundraising to support research, education, and scholarships. In addition, Dr. Daley represents the Foundation on the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing, a collaborative of leading nursing organizations examining the issue of systemic racism in the profession.
- Leaders of the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing:
- Martha Dawson, DNP, RN, FACHE, President, National Black Nurses Association
- Adrianna Nava, PhD, MPA, MSN, RN, President, National Association of Hispanic Nurses
- Debra Toney, PhD, RN, FAAN, President, National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations
- Daniela Vargas, MSN, MPH, MA-Bioethics, RN, PHN, Member-at-Large
As co-leads of the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing, Drs. Dawson, Nava, and Toney, and Ms. Vargas direct a nationwide effort to confront racism in the nursing profession and mitigate its impact on nurses, patients, communities, and health care systems.
These national leaders leveraged their combined expertise and lived experiences to inform a new definition of racism and discuss findings from a national survey of more than 5,600 nurses in which nearly half reported widespread racism in the nursing profession. Most recently, they
contributed to the Commission’s Foundational Report on Racism in Nursing. This report centers the experience of nurses of color in U.S. history and how structural and systemic racism have hindered access to educational and professional opportunities as well as institutional power. The report also reviews some of the ways in which these nurses resisted, challenged, and achieved within the structure of racism.
- Rumay Alexander, EdD, RN, FAAN, Scholar-in-Residence, American Nurses Association:
Dr. Alexander spearheads ANA’s strategic initiatives surrounding equity, diversity, inclusion and racism in nursing across education, practice, policy, and research. She was pivotal in the launch of the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing. She also developed a new definition of racism to set a foundation for the work ahead and was instrumental in the creation of the Commission’s Foundational Report on Racism in Nursing. Her insightful guidance informed the path forward for ANA’s own Racial Reckoning journey.
- Beverly Malone, PhD, RN, FAAN, CEO, National League for Nursing:
Dr. Malone brings her extensive experience as a global health care leader, innovator, and nursing champion to guide initiatives to improve inclusivity and equity in the nursing profession. She contributed expert considerations to ANA’s racial reckoning journey, ensuring that it focuses on acknowledgement, accountability and the need for healing in the nursing profession. Dr. Malone previously served two terms as ANA president. In 2022, Dr. Malone was featured as one of 25 outstanding women for Women’s History Month by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.
During the ceremony, ANA also recognized 14 other outstanding nurses and champions with national awards for their vital contributions to the nursing profession and health care.
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About the American Nurses Association
The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the premier organization representing the interests of the nation's 4.3 million registered nurses. ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting a safe and ethical work environment, bolstering the health and wellness of nurses, and advocating on health care issues that affect nurses and the public. ANA is at the forefront of improving the quality of health care for all. For more information, visit www.nursingworld.org