Building bridges and capacity for Black, Indigenous, and scholars of color in the era of COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter

Crooks, Natasha; Smith, Ariel; Lofton, Saria

BACKGROUND: There is a critical need to increase diversity in the nursing workforce to better address racial health disparities. PURPOSE: To provide academic institutions with practical recommendations to foster a collaborative environment and essential resources for and in support of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) scholars. METHODS: We examine the experiences of three Black nurse scholars, at a research-intensive university in an urban area during the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest in the United States. FINDINGS: Findings suggest barriers exist, which negatively impact workplace climate, collaboration and mentoring for BIPOC nursing scholars. Guided by a Black feminist perspective and utilizing existing literature, we recommend strategies to enhance workplace climate, to develop culturally aware collaboration, and to center mentoring as the foundation for BIPOC nurse scholar success. DISCUSSION: This article acknowledges that a crucial step in addressing health disparities is successful support of and collaboration with BIPOC nurse scholars.