In Houston's first celebration of National Black Nurses Day on Feb. 1, Mary Holt Ashley, Ph.D., RN, encouraged her audience of more than 200 African-American nurses to adopt "Ashley's B-Attitudes": to believe in themselves, to break the mold, to blaze their own trails, to bring passion to the table and to boost their inner spirits. In a rousing speech, "Leadership: What It Is To Be A Black Nurse In 2002," Ashley outlined the steps for the African-American nurse's professional journey and suggested methods for coping with racial disparity.

As associate administrator and chief nursing officer of Ben Taub General Hospital in Houston, Ashley is specially qualified to point the way to success for other African-American nurses. She challenged her audience to seek advanced degrees and higher-level positions in nursing. Stressing the need for passion, commitment and spiritual stamina, she advised aspiring nurses to maintain a clear vision of their desired destinations, evaluating what tools they will require and how long the journey will take. Careful planning and scheduling are essential, as is an awareness of how to cope with possible roadblocks.

Because they are a minority in the nursing profession, African-American nurses need to be active and self-confident. Ashley stressed the need to ASK (ask, seek, keep). Nurses should ask for what they want, ask for extra projects, ask to join professional groups, ask for a seat at the table and ask others how they are doing. They need to seek out people at higher levels, seek higher education and certification, seek African-American mentors, seek to be team players and seek advice from others. Finally, they need to keep up with the latest trends, keep their résumés updated, keep a can-do attitude, keep spiritually and physically fit, and keep their eyes on the prize.

To combat racial disparity, she said, African-American nurses need to aid in the recruitment of other African Americans, mentor new nurses in the workforce, tutor students in order to foster academic success, and publicize the activities and successes of other African-American nurses. She emphasized the importance of joining professional organizations and inspiring one's peers to do so.

As a finale to her speech, Ashley asked the audience to stand and join her in a chorus: "Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud. Say it loud, I'm black and I'm proud to be an RN in 2002."

Lola Denise Jefferson, RN, founder and president of the Fort Bend County (Texas) chapter of the Black Nurses Association, said her group sponsored the event to celebrate African-American nurses and encourage them to stay in the nursing profession. Given the enthusiastic responses from attendees, she is convinced that the association accomplished these goals.

Contact Celeste O'Dell at aloisie@cs.com.