DNPs of Color Calls on Nurses to Lead

In these unprecedented times of national transition, DNPs of Color recognizes that our profession stands at a critical intersection of hope and healing. Today’s America faces division, fear, and systemic inequities that fracture our communities and healthcare system. The rollback of health protections, threats to reproductive rights, education, research, and challenges to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and, Accessibility initiatives directly threaten those we serve.

As nurses, we witness the human cost daily. Yet within this storm, our profession’s legacy offers a powerful counter narrative of compassion, ethics, and transformative presence. Nurses have historically risen to meet America’s most challenging moments. From pandemic frontlines to civil rights movements, from natural disasters to healthcare reform battles, our profession has consistently chosen courage over comfort, action over apathy. Today’s landscape demands nothing less.

At this pivotal moment, we recommit ourselves to the American Nurses Enterprise Code of Ethics for Nurses. This year marks its 75th anniversary with a newly revised version that continues to serve as our North Star. We encourage you to #CheckTheCode (https://codeofethics.ana.org/provisions) because these provisions are not just aspirational ideals, they are professional obligations that define who we are, especially in times of challenge.

• Provision 1 – Practice with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person.
• Provision 2 – Primary commitment is to the recipient(s) of nursing care, whether an individual, family, group, community, or population.
• Provision 3 – Establish trusting relationships and advocate for the rights, health, and safety of recipient(s) of nursing care.
• Provision 4 – Maintain authority over nursing practice with accountability to promote health, prevent illness, and provide optimal care.
• Provision 5 – Honor moral duties to self, ensuring a safe, supportive workplace that fosters authenticity, self-respect, integrity, and professional competence.
• Provision 6 – Through individual and collective effort, establish, maintain, and improve the ethical environment of the work setting to enhance care and well-being.
• Provision 7 – Advance the profession through knowledge development, professional standards, and policy generation for nursing, health, and social concerns.
• Provision 8 – Build collaborative relationships and networks across healthcare and non-healthcare disciplines, as well as the public, to achieve greater impact.
• Provision 9 – Work to enact and resource practices, policies, and legislation that promote social justice, eliminate health inequities, and support human flourishing.
• Provision 10 – Participate in global efforts through organizations and associations to promote human and environmental health, well-being, and flourishing.

As DNPs of Color, we will be engaging in these efforts, and we invite you to join us in doing the same:

1. Advocating for Policies That Protect Health Equity: Engaging at all levels to safeguard equitable healthcare access and ensure nurses of color have a voice in decision-making.
2. Building Leadership Pathways: Providing mentorship and scholarships that propel nurses of color into influential positions where they can drive transformation.
3. Cultivating Community-Driven Advocacy Networks: Establishing healing circles, advocacy town halls, and partnerships that empower nurses to transform experiences into collective action.
4. Documenting Impact: Capturing the humanity of our communities through nursing research, storytelling, and evidence-based advocacy to ensure the voices and experiences are amplified.
5. Centering Ethical Leadership: Reaffirming our commitment to the ANA Code of Ethics, initiating a #CheckTheCode campaign, and encouraging other learning initiatives to navigate ethical dilemmas, advocate for social justice, and uphold integrity in practice.

The Future of Nursing report reminds us that our profession must be “bold in dismantling health inequities.” When communities experience fear, nurses must offer presence. When systems perpetuate chaos, nurses must model clarity. When inequities deepen divides, nurses must build bridges.

The question before us is not whether we will be affected by these challenging times, but how we will respond to them. Will we retreat into silence or step forward with courage? Will we accept growing inequities or actively dismantle them? Will we allow fear to divide us or let shared purpose unite us?

As nurses, we do not have the luxury of neutrality. Our profession’s legacy and America’s future health demand that we choose courage, community, and unwavering commitment to justice. The shifting landscape presents a defining moment for our profession. As nurses, we hold the line for health justice.

In the words of Dr. Dr. Monica R. McLemore : “Social justice and nursing have always been mutually aligned since the Inception of nursing. It was always to advance the dignity and the human rights of individuals in the context of health. We lead with curiosity. We lead with love. We don’t lead with anger. We don’t lead with fear.”

The time to lead is now, with clarity, with conviction, and with the collective strength that has always defined nursing at its best.

In solidarity & service,

#ChecktheCode

Danielle McCamey, DNP, ACNP-BC, FAAN, FCCP, FADLN

Founder, CEO & President

About DNPs of Color

DNPs of Color (DOCs), is a 501c3 nonprofit nursing organization, whose mission is to serve Doctors of Nursing Practice of Color through networking, mentorship and advocacy to increase diversity in doctoral studies, clinical practice, and leadership. Please visit our website www.dnpsofcolor.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @dnpsofcolor