When they said 2020 was the "Year of the Nurse," this was not what we expected. We expected celebrations, a greater respect for the hard work we put in daily, more cheesy gifts and free food. Little did we know that our free food would come as the result of a global pandemic.
Bikinis and sunscreen replaced with masks and hand sanitizer. PTO replaced with overtime and furloughs. Relaxation on the beach replaced with protests in the streets.
But one thing remains the same. Nurse Tribe, you have SHOWN UP.... and we see you! We see you coming to work every day despite the fear of the unknown. We see you bouncing back from COVID-19. We see you battling systematic racism both in and out of the workplace.
Nurses Travel Network was built on inclusion, diversity and acceptance. However, as a black-owned business, we would be remiss to not directly address racism, both blatant and subtle.
We get the stares in Bali from individuals not understanding that "YES, we ARE in fact REAL nurses." Yes, black women travel. Yes, black women are successful. Yes, black women are educated. We are not IG models. We save lives in real life.
We understand the ongoing battle of having to prove our worth to those who are committed to seeing us as unworthy.
We are opening up a space for real, candid, and authentic dialogue between ALL nurses. Let's share stories, have the uncomfortable conversations and see how we can better support one another as a tribe.
