Entrenched White Supremacy in Nursing Education Administrative Structures

Abstract

The National League for Nursing, the American Nurses Association, and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing each have published directives or position statements that support initiatives that would diversify faculty in nursing education; some initiatives very specifically address increasing diversity within nursing faculty leadership ranks. Despite support for these initiatives, there is a lack of faculty members of color in higher-level leadership positions in nursing academia. This article explores two questions that unfold contributing factors. Is the absence of faculty members of color due to historical exclusionary practices of institutional racism? Or is it due to components of internalized racism that may cause faculty members of color to devalue their own potential and ability to rise to leadership roles? Either answer helps explain how entrenched white supremacy continues to be a barrier to diversifying nursing academia. Are we strong enough to dismantle the obstacles to achieving diversity in nursing academic leadership?