UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Multicultural Student Nursing Association (MSNA) visited Washington, D.C., on Feb. 2 for National Black Nurses Day on Capitol Hill sponsored by the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA). The event brings Black healthcare leaders together annually to advocate for health policy with congressional officials.
Founded by students in the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing, MSNA aims to unify those with a different ethnic background and is dedicated to recruiting, networking and creating a safe space for students of color both academically and throughout campus life. To help achieve the organization’s goals, MSNA partnered with the Penn State Student Engagement Network and received a $15,000 grant to fund travel costs for members along with subsidizing programming for MSNA’s Leadership Engagement and Advocacy Program (LEAP). The initiative, led by MSNA president and second-year nursing student Alexandra Reaves, became a year-long endeavor to educate students on healthcare issues and give back to the community, according to Reaves.
“It all started with an idea to apply for a grant to fund our community outreach efforts throughout the year, so we created the LEAP project and opened the opportunity up to all of our members,” Reaves said. “With the money from the grant, we were able to create different fundraisers and begin advocacy and awareness efforts, especially for issues that affect communities of color.”
During their visit to the nation’s capital, MSNA students said they hoped to “create health advocacy, awareness, and fundraising efforts for the communities [they] serve,” as shared in a social media post from the group. The group's advocacy efforts followed the National Black Nurses Association’s legislative priorities including health equity, obesity, black maternal health, criminal justice reform, gun violence, mental health and climate justice. Students had the opportunity to speak with Pennsylvania representatives, including Rep. Glenn Thompson, Sen. Bob Casey, and Sen. John Fetterman. Throughout these conversations, students networked with attendees and spoke on their experiences as nursing students of color.
Associate dean for equity and inclusion in the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing Sheldon Fields, who is also NBNA’s first vice president and MSNA’s adviser, guided the students’ journey from the ideation process to the excursion to Washington D.C. for National Black Nurses Day.
“As a nurse, you need to be a healthcare advocate,” Fields said. “Being able to articulate your stance is an incredibly transferable skill, and this trip gave them the tools to do that.”
The students took the lessons learned in Washington D.C. back to Penn State with their Feb. 28 presentation, titled “MSNA Goes to Capitol Hill: A Lesson in Black Nurse Advocacy.” Reaves said this presentation allowed the students to share more on Black nurse advocacy, extending the knowledge they received to different audiences across the commonwealth.
“Your voice matters,” Reaves said. “Going into the trip, I was nervous — I had never met with a representative and I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we really felt like we made a difference having the chance to advocate for ourselves, especially meeting with specific politicians that were making decisions on our behalf.”