Frontier Nursing University (FNU) alumni Rachel Sherman spent last year working as a nurse practitioner in her community, earning her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), and advocating for racial justice in her hometown of Prince George’s County, Md. As a result of her tireless efforts to bring awareness to her community, Sherman was honored with the Rosa Parks Award for Excellence in Community Activism at the District 9 Day of Service Awards this year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The award came as a result of her actions last year when a black man was kicked out of a local restaurant in Prince George’s County, Maryland for wearing an “I can’t breathe” T-shirt. Already known throughout her community as someone who stands up for equality, Sherman was one of the first to know about and respond to the event.
Despite working 10-12 hour shifts each day at Prince George’s Hospital Center, Sherman organized and took to the streets, protesting the restaurant seven days a week for three months. During this time, dozens of community members and local organizations joined Sherman in the protests. The story was also covered by the Washington Post.
However, this was not the first time Sherman’s activism had gained national attention. Sherman first became an equal rights advocate in her community in 2017 when she went with her younger brother on a routine car inspection to a local BP gas station (such routines are mandatory in Maryland for all vehicles). When the inspector attempted to overcharge her brother, Sherman stepped in, at which point she was berated by racist remarks. Rather than leaving or spewing similar hate, Sherman leaned into the platform that has brought increasing racial awareness in recent years- social media.
“I posted the video on Facebook and woke up in the morning to over 300,000 views,” Sherman said, “and that is how I became involved with grassroots activism.”
As the event with her brother spread across social media, individuals and politicians throughout the community reached out, and Sherman began to organize peaceful protests.
“After watching the video, many people were angry, but I always insisted that our protests remain peaceful. I believe that our words and actions can be much stronger weapons than violence.”
And it worked. BP flew in an executive to personally apologize to her and her brother on the evening news. Additionally, the inspector who harassed them was terminated and had his license revoked. The company also now makes a point of hiring community members in Prince George’s County.
“These protests were never about closing places down; they were about recognizing a problem and getting the change this community deserves,” Sherman said.
“Prince George’s County is a community where African Americans are thriving. We have the highest median income, education rate, and homeownership numbers for African Americans in this country. So why is it that we have a substandard education system and archaic hospitals?” Sherman asked.
Due to the history of inequality in the area, many minorities are hesitant to trust healthcare providers. Sherman is working to change that. For her DNP project, Sherman enacted a virtual community-based advance care planning program. Of Sherman’s participants, 85 percent completed the process, leading to 81 community members equipped with confidence in the future of their medical care and a personalized advance directive.
“What was most important to me about my DNP project is that it raised awareness and built trust. The participants were all encouraged to share the information they learned with their loved ones, and I have since been asked to speak on advance care planning in front of many local congregations. I’m really pleased that I have been able to get this information out into the community,” Sherman said.
Following her graduation from FNU, Sherman has joined Frontier as a faculty member in hopes of continuing to move healthcare in a more equitable direction.
“I was extremely impressed with the stance FNU took on social injustice over the past year. Doctor Stone’s statement on Breonna Taylor and George Floyd made me feel like this was the organization for me. The FNU community shows an understanding of how the lack of social justice impacts minority students and the future of this country. They have proven that they intend to help move healthcare in a more equitable direction and are an organization I am proud to be a part of.”
Thank you, Rachel, for working hard to expand equality, justice, and healthcare services. We are proud to have you as an alumni member and delighted that you have chosen to continue your FNU journey. We can’t wait to see what big things you do next!
Justin C. Daily, BSN, RN, has ten years of experience in nursing. At the start of his nursing career, Justin worked as a floor nurse on the oncology floor at St. Francis. He then spent two years as the Director of Nursing in a small rural Kansas hospital before returning to St. Francis and the oncology unit. He has been in his current position as the Chemo Nurse Educator for the past four years. He earned an Associate in Nurse from Hutchinson Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Bethel College.
Brandy Jackson serves as the Director of Undergraduate Nursing Programs and Assistant Educator at Wichita State University and Co-Director of Access in Nursing. Brandy is a seasoned educator with over 15 years of experience. Before entering academia, Brandy served in Hospital-based leadership and Critical Care Staff nurse roles. Brandy is passionate about equity in nursing education with a focus on individuals with disabilities. Her current research interests include accommodations of nursing students with disabilities in clinical learning environments and breaking down barriers for historically unrepresented individuals to enter the nursing profession. Brandy is also actively engaged in Interprofessional Education development, creating IPE opportunities for faculty and students at Wichita State. Brandy is an active member of Wichita Women for Good and Soroptimist, with the goal to empower women and girls. Brandy is a TeamSTEPPS master trainer. She received the DASIY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty in 2019 at Wichita State University. 
Dr. Sabrina Ali Jamal-Eddine is an Arab-disabled queer woman of color with a PhD in Nursing and an interdisciplinary certificate in Disability Ethics from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Dr. Jamal-Eddine’s doctoral research explored spoken word poetry as a form of critical narrative pedagogy to educate nursing students about disability, ableism, and disability justice. Dr. Jamal-Eddine now serves as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in UIC’s Department of Disability and Human Development and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (NOND). During her doctoral program, Sabrina served as a Summer Fellow at a residential National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute at Arizona State University (2023), a summer fellow at Andrew W. Mellon’s National Humanities Without Walls program at University of Michigan (2022), a Summer Research Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Othering & Belonging Institute (2021), and an Illinois Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) trainee (2019-2020).
Vanessa Cameron works for Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nursing Education & Professional Development. She is also attending George Washington University and progressing towards a PhD in Nursing with an emphasis on ableism in nursing. After becoming disabled in April 2021, Vanessa’s worldview and perspective changed, and a recognition of the ableism present within healthcare and within the culture of nursing was apparent. She has been working since that time to provide educational foundations for nurses about disability and ableism, provide support for fellow disabled nursing colleagues, and advocate for the disabled community within healthcare settings to reduce disparities.
Dr. Lucinda Canty is a certified nurse-midwife, Associate Professor of Nursing, and Director of the Seedworks Health Equity in Nursing Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Columbia University, a master’s degree from Yale University, specializing in nurse-midwifery, and a PhD from the University of Connecticut. Dr. Canty has provided reproductive health care for over 29 years. Her research interests include the prevention of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, reducing racial and ethnic health disparities in reproductive health, promoting diversity in nursing, and eliminating racism in nursing and midwifery.
Dr. Lisa Meeks is a distinguished scholar and leader whose unwavering commitment to inclusivity and excellence has significantly influenced the landscape of health professions education and accessibility. She is the founder and executive director of the DocsWithDisabilities Initiative and holds appointments as an Associate Professor in the Departments of Learning Health Sciences and Family Medicine at the University of Michigan.
Dr. Nikia Grayson, DNP, MSN, MPH, MA, CNM, FNP-C, FACNM (she/her) is a trailblazing force in reproductive justice, blending her expertise as a public health activist, anthropologist, and family nurse-midwife to champion the rights and health of underserved communities. Graduating with distinction from Howard University, Nikia holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in public health. Her academic journey also led her to the University of Memphis, where she earned a master’s in medical anthropology, and the University of Tennessee, where she achieved both a master’s in nursing and a doctorate in nursing practice. Complementing her extensive education, she completed a post-master’s certificate in midwifery at Frontier Nursing University.
Dr. Tia Brown McNair is the Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, DC. She oversees both funded projects and AAC&U’s continuing programs on equity, inclusive excellence, high-impact practices, and student success. McNair directs AAC&U’s Summer Institutes on High-Impact Practices and Student Success, and TRHT Campus Centers and serves as the project director for several AAC&U initiatives, including the development of a TRHT-focused campus climate toolkit. She is the lead author of From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education (January 2020) and Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success (July 2016 and August 2022 Second edition).
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