At the Ingram School of Nursing (ISoN) we have all been impacted by the recent events leading to the Black Lives Matter movement and emphasize the ongoing oppression and systemic racism that has been experienced by people of colour for centuries. We would also like to recognize that our Indigenous communities are subject to similar systems of oppression. We would like to share some of the big and small steps the ISON is taking to address systemic racism in Nursing, Healthcare and in our society. We recognize that we as a School of Nursing need to continue on this path for sustainable change and do more. Below are some of our efforts to date to address systemic racism and social injustice:
Education
- Collaborating in the creation of a faculty development workshop on ‘Supporting Diverse Students’.
- co-hosted ‘Birth Work as Ancestral Practice’ an event during black history month Feb 26th https://www.facebook.com/events/873830233077478.
- Students are exposed to race, implicit bias, oppression, systemic racism, cultural safety and humility. Ensuring diverse families of colour are represented throughout our curriculum in undergraduate and graduate programs. – while acknowledging we can always do better and improve how these concepts are taught.
- Partnerships with the community organizations that address the needs of the Black community including the Côte des Neiges Black Community Association (CDNBCA) and African Canadian Development and Prevention Network (ACDPN) our collaboration help enable these organizations to apply for and receive federal funding for their programs.
- Ongoing education Book club for faculty and staff on Social Justice topics including systemic racism and oppression. We have currently selected “Skin we’re in” to further faculty and staff knowledge on systemic racism in the Canadian context.
- Ashukin Program – permits students to engage with Indigenous Peoples working in partnership to advance community-identified health and wellbeing needs. Fostering the ability of students to address social justice and inequity issues.
Advocacy
- Representation and Participation in the Widening Participation Committee at the Faculty of Medicine. This committee oversees the Faculty of Medicine efforts to recruit a more diverse student body including pipeline programs and an annual diversity survey. The committee focuses on underrepresented groups including Black and Indigenous students.
- Diversity survey completed for BScN, BNI and DE programs annually. Additionally, including in NE and NP programs in Fall 2020. The diversity survey indicates that the ISON is successful in recruiting Black students and we have a population share that is equal to or greater than the general population in Montreal across all programs.
- Advocating for increased diversity within faculty at the ISON. There is a strong interest in being represented on the Faculty of Medicine Equity Committee to advance this effort.
- Ebola Position Statement
- Truth and Reconciliation Position Statement
Service
- The McGill-Bonneau clinic offers nursing care and services to a homeless population (including Black men).
- McGill Nurses for Global Health, McGill Nurses for Community Service and McGill Nurses for Healthy Policy have all worked on issues of equity and social justice.
Research
- VOICE - an interdisciplinary group of researchers and community partners that is working to advance the field of childhood ethics, including a focus on Indigenous children.
- Partnership in Tanzania and Haiti working with Black communities to advance their organizations priorities for health and wellbeing.