President's Message: March/April 2024

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity In 2024: Partnerships for Action

Debra A. Toney, PhD, RN, FAAN President, National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2024.102156

On April 18, 1959, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. stated during his speech on the March for Integrated Schools, "Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a better person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in." At a time in our nation where seven state legislative proposals to ban Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives or programs in their educational systems have passed into law and 52 pieces of legislation have been introduced in 23 states with similar type restrictions since 2023 (Chronical Staff, 2024), one cannot help but wonder if 2024 will continue to reverse the efforts great champions like Martin Luther King, Jr. worked so hard to achieve.