I was reading an article in a nursing journal about racism in nursing. Apparently, there are nurses associations specifically for different racial and ethnic groups.
So, would it be a good idea for White nurses to band together in this way? Is that a taboo because it's construed as being as racist or is it just that Whites don't have the need for a group identity because of their majority status? Will that be changing as the demographics of the nation change? After all, in some areas White people are a minority.
I think white people have had it pretty good in this country and don't need their own association for anything.
Whites have never had to deal with the predjudices that other groups have endured. I don't care if the white person is in the 'minority' in some locations, or even if they've experienced 'reverse' racism. It's still nothing compared to what other groups have dealt with in the past, and even still today.
So, that being said....if Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, whatever...wants to have a nursing group then fine. It shouldn't be offensive to anyone.
You are focusing mainly on the past. I say what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Presently, minorities rule the roost, I think. The laws are in our favor and I know of whites who have been hurt by them. Yes, minorities were hurt in the past but now it's whites who are hurt. So why should they not be allowed to form their own group?
If whites want to have their own group, that should not threaten or offend anyone, either, just as whites should not be offended by the groups you name, or any other group, forming their own private, exclusive association. Particularly if whites are a minority on their job and experience "reverse" discrimination, they need and should be free to have their own association. I happen to be a black male but I would not be offended by white males or white men and women forming their own exclusive group.
I hope people will remain civil in this thread. It has the potential to get ugly.
wow..that was a trip back in time i hope we don't take again. It's a shame that in this day and we age we still can't get over a person race or gender. As nurses you should be starting an association for better patient care.
There can be more than one association in the world. People can still have an association for better pt care, and one for thier own background.
If you chose the nursing field as your profession, then you need to remember...no matter what someone looks like, we are all human, and we signed up to help those who can't help themselves.
This actually has nothing to do with the OT. I think we are all aware of how to be nurses. If someone is in a black nurses association, or white nurses association, then it doens't imply that they need to be told how to take care of pts. I think we all remember why we became nurses...
In this situation (war in Iraq) it would matter because if the person who shot you, got to you first...they would most likely finish the job they started.
You are focusing mainly on the past. I say what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Presently, minorities rule the roost, I think. The laws are in our favor and I know of whites who have been hurt by them. Yes, minorities were hurt in the past but now it's whites who are hurt. So why should they not be allowed to form their own group?
If whites want to have their own group, that should not threaten or offend anyone, either, just as whites should not be offended by the groups you name, or any other group, forming their own private, exclusive association. Particularly if whites are a minority on their job and experience "reverse" discrimination, they need and should be free to have their own association. I happen to be a black male but I would not be offended by white males or white men and women forming their own exclusive group.
I hope people will remain civil in this thread. It has the potential to get ugly.
What I said was, I don't think it's necessary for whites to form their own group, as we've had it pretty easy and good for a while. People should fight racism (I don't like the term reverse, it's either racism or not) whenever and wherever it happens.
If whites want to form thier own group, then fine. I think it's unnecessary, that's all. Way I see it, the world has been pretty easy for whites comparably. Sure, there's always exceptions. Always. But in general, I'd venture to say it's more difficult for a black male in this county than a white male...
Specializes in Community Health, Med-Surg, Home Health.
It does cause introspection and thought to answer this thread. I am an African American Nurse and while I didn't see the necessity of having nursing groups of different ethinic backgrounds, after reading some responses, I can see why one may rise. Some races have specific needs that may not be adressed. I feel that if there is a group that will focus on the needs of a specific patient population, I can see it, because these nurses may be advocates for change towards positive outcomes.
CardiacRN- What if a group of White people DID feel as if they had a need to form an association to discuss issues that they felt they, as a group, shared? Would that be acceptable for them to do so?
There is a group of white (so far, no African American or Asian Nurses have joined, not for lack of encouragement). Nurses who have become members of a large group called Hadassah, which sponsors hospitals and clinics in Israel where advanced degrees for Nurses were not available, opened that opportunity. However, no one is refused membership, just as no one is denied care at those hospitals and clinics. Now, after getting advanced degrees in the USA and other countries through Hadassah (and other sponsors), there is University training in Israel for advanced Nursing degrees.
While the largest group of members in Hadassah are Jewish, there are many non-Jewish members, and some of those are Presidents of many Chapters in that organization. I would no more want to declare a chapter for non-Jews, than I would want a Nurses' organization for non anything. Let's rally together for openess and be very cautious about any division according to color, etc. What amazes me about our ability to unanamously agree, was the dispelling of caps and white starched uniforms - seemingly overnight!
I believe that no group should deny entry to anyone who identifies with /wants to join that group's direction. I never joined a sorority, as they are selective, and being Jewish, I have experienced rejection and shy away from the type of people who I know would exclude me, or feel uncomfortable about who I am. I do try to educate as many others as I can, to dispell myths about my religion and share the goodness of it. When my children were in elementary school, I brought potato pancakes there to share the story of Hannukkah, and food that is special for other occasions.
The KKK is an example of the direction a racist white group can take, and that deteriorated the south during its time, and brought misery. Now neoNazi groups are forming all over this country denying the holocaust's murder of 6,000,000 people whose ethnicity offended Hitler - and they are ant-semitic, believing that Jews don't deserve a place in society (as they want it). Let's not go there, PLEASE!!!!
OUR WORK JOINS US, and our differences distinguish us. LET US STAY TOGETHER!!!!!
I work at a hospital in Dayton, OH. The city's population is majority African-American, however, the majority of nurses in the hospital are Caucasian.
So, in essence, many of the nursing organizations in the hospital and around the region take on the appearance of being White Nursing Associations.
I will say that I am an African-American woman and have always lived, worked, and attended schools in predominantly white areas. So, for me, I always felt as though I was joining a White organization or club.
What I love most is when I hear of Black Organizations (or other organizations predominated by people of color) that have one or two White members or one or two members from any other race. I know there is a historical Black male university in Atlanta where one White guy just graduated. In other words, I love meeting people who put their money where their mouth is. They don't just talk about the issues we have or ignore the controversial issues but instead they get up and do something about it.
I love stuff like that! I really wish we lived in a society where racism no longer existed but I don't see it happening any time in my lifetime or my future children's lifetime. That's not cynicism, it's just reality. (I won't share all of my war stories that proves that racism is alive and well...but there are many).
So, I say bring on the White Nurses Association and I hope that in the mix of members there will also be Blacks, Asians, Latinos, etc. (that would really mean something:heartbeat)
You are focusing mainly on the past. I say what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Presently, minorities rule the roost, I think. The laws are in our favor and I know of whites who have been hurt by them. Yes, minorities were hurt in the past but now it's whites who are hurt. So why should they not be allowed to form their own group?
If whites want to have their own group, that should not threaten or offend anyone, either, just as whites should not be offended by the groups you name, or any other group, forming their own private, exclusive association. Particularly if whites are a minority on their job and experience "reverse" discrimination, they need and should be free to have their own association. I happen to be a black male but I would not be offended by white males or white men and women forming their own exclusive group.
I hope people will remain civil in this thread. It has the potential to get ugly.
I disagree with your statement that minorities rule, being black how can you say that? I think the difference is that traditionally white-only groups have been exclusive to whites where-as ethnic-centered groups are not exclusive as you have whites in the NAACP or blacks in hispanic sororities as an example. Any group can and should form if there is a need and its not going to cause harm to others but when you get into excluding folks based on race, that's a road we should not go down again. However, if a group had a focus, say on building better relationships in the white nursing community, and a black or asian or whoever wanted to join knowing the mission of the organization, then more power to them.
I work at a hospital in Dayton, OH. The city's population is majority African-American, however, the majority of nurses in the hospital are Caucasian.
So, in essence, many of the nursing organizations in the hospital and around the region take on the appearance of being White Nursing Associations.
I will say that I am an African-American woman and have always lived, worked, and attended schools in predominantly white areas. So, for me, I always felt as though I was joining a White organization or club.
What I love most is when I hear of Black Organizations (or other organizations predominated by people of color) that have one or two White members or one or two members from any other race. I know there is a historical Black male university in Atlanta where one White guy just graduated. In other words, I love meeting people who put their money where their mouth is. They don't just talk about the issues we have or ignore the controversial issues but instead they get up and do something about it.
I love stuff like that! I really wish we lived in a society where racism no longer existed but I don't see it happening any time in my lifetime or my future children's lifetime. That's not cynicism, it's just reality. (I won't share all of my war stories that proves that racism is alive and well...but there are many).
So, I say bring on the White Nurses Association and I hope that in the mix of members there will also be Blacks, Asians, Latinos, etc. (that would really mean something:heartbeat)
At my school, we started with 96 students, of which 10 were African American and one is an Indonesian woman. There are far more male students all of which are Caucasian than there are African American's or any other Non-Caucasian nationality however there are 20 males in my entire class so they are still pretty much a minority group. This has been prevalent throughout the school's history and throughout the region's history. I am a member of the Minority Nursing Mentoring Program in my city. This program was not founded to be divisive. It is not just for Black Minority, Asian Minority, Indian Minority, Male Minority or any other minority group, rather it focuses on minority groups that are scarce in the field of nursing. The program was founded to attract and retain person's of all nationalities and ethnic groups and to find out what it is that causes these statistics to be disproportionate. In the meetings, nothing is focused on any one group and anyone is welcomed to join whether you are a minority or not.
If Caucasians are disproportionately represented in the field of nursing then they should definitely be encouraged to join in the effort to proportionately diversify the field.
I dont think that the "ethnic" organizations exclude anyone as well. For the most part these organizations came about because there was a need for them. The individuals didn't feel they were getting the resources or whatever that they needed so they decided to form an organization that addresses those issues. Personally I never understand the arguement that there should be a "white" whatever organization. Especially when the organization's members represent the majority (which in the US as a whole is white people) I have joined groups that were ethnic specific but I also join those that are not. I chose to join the ethnic specific ones because the topics, issues or whatever were more directed at my personal situation. But I join the other becuase they focus on more broad issues and topics that affect me. If white people feel they need a group to address issues specific to them so be it. But if it is exclusively for whites only then i take issue with it. But as someone mentioned, most non-ethnic specific groups are implied to be white because the make up of the membership is mostly white.
Vito Andolini
1,451 Posts
You are focusing mainly on the past. I say what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Presently, minorities rule the roost, I think. The laws are in our favor and I know of whites who have been hurt by them. Yes, minorities were hurt in the past but now it's whites who are hurt. So why should they not be allowed to form their own group?
If whites want to have their own group, that should not threaten or offend anyone, either, just as whites should not be offended by the groups you name, or any other group, forming their own private, exclusive association. Particularly if whites are a minority on their job and experience "reverse" discrimination, they need and should be free to have their own association. I happen to be a black male but I would not be offended by white males or white men and women forming their own exclusive group.
I hope people will remain civil in this thread. It has the potential to get ugly.