“Standing Firm in Power and Pride.” This resonant theme for Black History Month 2025 reflects on history and serves as an urgent commentary on the present. It compels us to examine the pivotal contributions and ongoing struggles of Black individuals in healthcare, honouring the deep pride rooted in their cultural identities while highlighting the historical and contemporary strength required to navigate a system still in need of reform.

As a first-generation child of immigrant parents from the Caribbean and Nigeria, this theme is the story of my journey, my path. From my determination to pursue a career in nursing, heavily influenced by my mother’s unwavering commitment to caring for others and the value of education, to my ongoing experience as a registered nurse, serves as a powerful reminder of the rich legacy of countless Black pioneers in healthcare, to my own experience as a registered nurse, I stand on the shoulders of giants. Yet, I am also acutely aware that the path they forged remains steep, a reality underscored by persistent disparities for Black students and nurses today.

Power: A Legacy of Foundational Contribution and A Contemporary Battle

The National Health Service (NHS) was built on the principle of equitable care, a principle made possible by the thousands of Black women recruited from the Caribbean and West Africa who answered the call in the post-war era. They faced racism, were sidelined despite their qualifications, and yet their steadfast dedication forged the very backbone of the service. Their power was in their unwavering presence against all odds. By 1965, nearly 12% of student nurses in Britain were from overseas, predominantly Black women from the Caribbean, who defined the profession's spirit and operational ethos.

These courageous nurses, who provided essential care but faced daily systemic racism, often encountered scepticism regarding their qualifications and were relegated to menial positions despite demonstrating commendable clinical proficiency and an unwavering commitment to patient welfare. They embody a spirit of resilience that is truly inspiring. Their experience directly impacted the first generations of Black British student nurses, who, while qualifying within the system, often faced a dual burden: the immense pressure to excel academically and professionally to prove their worth, while simultaneously navigating the same undercurrents of prejudice and institutional bias their predecessors faced. 

It reflects the essence of "Standing Firm in Power" -  the formidable strength required to enter a system that was not built for you but to persist, qualify, and excel within it, thereby slowly bending the arc of that system toward justice. As the poet Maya Angelou famously wrote, “And still I rise.” Their steadfast dedication to delivering high-quality, compassionate care represents a quiet yet indomitable power that has fortified the foundation of the NHS for decades.

Today, that power must manifest differently, yet just as firmly. While the Windrush generation battled overt exclusion, their modern-day successors face a more insidious opponent: the attainment gap and the career progression cliff.

Then: The barrier was entry and recognition. The mindset was one of perseverance to prove their right to belong within the system.

Now: The barrier is equity and advancement. Today, while Black students are entering nursing programmes, they face one of the highest degree attainment gaps in higher education. Recent data shows a 13% gap in awarding gaps between white and Black students*, a systemic fault that may suggest a lack of support. The mindset for many is now one of exhaustion, having to fight for a place, a fair grade, for mentorship, and for the same opportunities their white peers are afforded automatically.

Upon qualification, the battle continues. The courage of pioneers like Kofoworola Abeni Pratt, who became one of the NHS's first Black ward sisters, is not reflected in today’s leadership statistics. Despite making up approximately 22% of the nursing workforce in England*, Black nurses remain significantly underrepresented in senior roles. They hold only 6% of Band 7 roles and a mere 1% of very senior manager posts*, often reporting that they hit a "glass ceiling" and experience discrimination that hinders their progression.

Highlighting the modern expression of "Standing Firm in Power," we see this power in a newly qualified nurse applying for a leadership development program. It's the strength that comes from data-driven resilience, emphasising the achievement and progression gaps that indicate the system is still not equitable. The battlefield has shifted from merely securing a position to breaking through glass ceilings, yet the need for unwavering power remains. This power echoes Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s defiant words: “If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.”

Pride: The Unbreakable Cultural Fortitude

Then, pride was the quiet dignity of providing exemplary care while being denied respect. It was the solidarity found in shared Caribbean households, where nurses created community away from home, preserving their culture as a source of strength against a hostile environment. It was a private, sustaining force.

Now, “Standing Firm in Pride” is a defiant, public act. In the face of an attainment gap that implicitly questions their capability, pride is the unshakeable self-belief of a Black nursing student. It is a conscious decision to wear their hair in its natural state, despite outdated uniform policies, to speak up in a lecture and include Afrocentric health perspectives, and to mentor the students coming up behind them. This pride is their cultural capital, their deep understanding of community health, their ability to connect across cultures, and the resilience inherited from their forebears. It is the very asset the NHS desperately needs yet systematically undervalues. Today’s generation is channelling this pride not just into patient care but into building networks, creating mentorship programmes for Black nurses, and advocating for themselves and their communities with a voice that will not be silenced. They embody Audre Lorde’s powerful assertion that “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

Therefore, the journey from then to now is not a simple story of progress. It is an evolution of the struggle, from fighting for a space in the room to battling for an equal voice and an equal chance to lead within it. The Windrush nurses wielded the power of resilience; their legacy demands that we now wield the power of disruption and systemic challenge.

“Standing Firm in Power and Pride” is thus a continuous thread. It is the lineage that connects the nurse who endured racism to care for her patients in the 1950s to the student who graduates today despite the statistical odds, to the newly qualified nurse who demands a fair trajectory. It is the collective, unwavering stance that says our contribution is foundational, our culture is a strength, and our presence will continue to transform nursing until the system reflects the equitable care it promises to all. We stand firm, not because the path is easy, but because the legacy we carry is too powerful to break.

* Data collected from Workforce Race Equality Standard