TEXAS NURSING PROFILE
Desirée A. Duncan
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Everybody's Work
Our goal was to provide understanding on how anti-racism is beneficial for all nurses, races, genders and examples of how we can start to right the ship on anti-racism in nursing through educating those who have had the privilege to ignore it.
A Q&A with Desirée A. Duncan
Photos and Video Courtesy of
Desirée A. Duncan
Texas Nursing: What is “Everybody’s Work”?
Duncan: "Everybody’s Work" is a film that examines the hidden disease plaguing healthcare in the United States: systemic racism. Through the lens of fearless nurses, this documentary not only exposes the biases that result in worse healthcare outcomes for people of color, but it captures the painful impact they have — both on patients and nurses.
In this film, viewers will discover how nurses who dare to challenge the status quo by fostering a community-driven approach, embracing equity-minded practices, and advocating for inclusive education, are paving the way toward a healthier future for all. It serves as a rallying cry, reminding us that healing from racism in healthcare is a collective responsibility that transcends individual professions and identities. It's everybody's work.
Texas Nursing: Talk to us about the development of the project? What was the inspiration? How did you find people to interview? How was the documentary funded?
Duncan: I’m a health equity and content strategist for BPD Healthcare, a marketing communications firm serving health systems and healthcare organizations, but before my move to marketing I spent the first 14 years of my career as a producer for PBS documentaries and series across the country.
BPD has partnered with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation since 2019 and they fund the SHIFT Nursing platform, a community of nurses ready to make a positive change for each other and the profession. This is inclusive of a social media presence on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube @ShiftNursing as well as a podcast SHIFT TALK and our first documentary WHO CARES.
Following the success and impact of “Who Cares”, RWJF requested to fund the production of a new film that centers on the intersection between anti-racism and nursing. Beth Toner, our key client at the Foundation, believes nurses are essential in dismantling structural racism in healthcare, which affects nurses themselves as well as millions of people every day.
This was a continuation of RWJF having already examined nurses' experiences and perceptions of racism and discrimination in healthcare settings and nursing schools through a survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago. The nationwide survey investigated the extent and severity of racism and discrimination happening around nurses, how often it's reported, and the culture of the institutions where it occurs.
My wheels immediately started turning! I started researching and reading and listening for solutions because after the last few years, I was tired of all the disparity data talking about the problems. I wanted to know what are we going to do about them?
During my research, I discovered Dr. Heather McGhee’s TED Talk Racism has a cost for everyone and became deeply inspired by her book and subsequent podcast The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together. So many stories about racism center on a story of plight rather than inspiration to solve. Stats on disparities are continuously shared without guidance on what to do with or about these stats, but Dr. McGhee’s book did the opposite of that.
Jann Murray-García, MD, MPH
Professor, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, UC Davis
As profiled in the film, Dr. Murray-García has developed several innovative, immersive training experiences for students, staff, faculty, and health system leaders at UC Davis Health. From her career to her volunteer work to her passion projects, She demonstrates a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in every facet of her life.
Aron King, MS, RN
Assistant Nurse Manager, UC Davis Health PhD Student, Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, UC Davis
Highlighted in the documentary, Aron King understands the bigger picture of his role in serving the Black community and inspiring Black nurses. One way he does this is by leveraging a valued space in Black culture to fulfill the mission of eliminating health disparities through Barbershop Health Talks.
Then I revisited a past episode of the We Can Do Hard Things podcast, episode 61 from January 13, 2022 titled Are Your Friendships Draining or Charging You? w/ Luvvie Ajayi Jones. I remembered the incredibly honest and vulnerable dialogue about friendships between Black and White women that I felt was a direct correlation given that roughly 80% of nurses are women. This isn’t just about race or racism alone. The intersectionality of gender and race will need to be unpacked to get at the root of behaviors that manifest in racial microaggressions and macro-aggressions.
In the episode Luvvie discussed the deep level of showing up that Black women provide to each other in friendships, and Glennon shared that she was used to not much being expected of her in friendships, and with that level of expectation that Black women are used to, she worried that she wasn’t able to trust herself to show up at that level. This struck me as an insight into how nurses needing to be more in relationships with one another to truly address the systemic issues around race they were experiencing.
Our goal was to provide understanding on how anti-racism is beneficial for all nurses, races, genders and examples of how we can start to right the ship on anti-racism in nursing through educating those who have had the privilege to ignore it.
We wanted the film to create an emotional space in which people can unpack some of the politicized and complicated topics related to anti-racism and equity that they may not fully grasp. We wanted nurses of color to feel seen and heard, White nurses to feel safe discussing the issues, and everyone to be inspired to think and act differently because anti-racism benefits everyone and ultimately leads to better health for all.
So we started talking to a few scholars the foundation was already working with to do something about this, and they connected us with additional folks. And after a few Zoom calls with folks like Monica McLemore, Lucinda Canty, Katie Boston Leary, and Kenya Beard, I realized this was much larger than we could've even imagined. I felt this film had the opportunity to spark a movement.
This film is only one piece of this work, but to bring this vision to life, we needed to find a talented director to help give shape to all we wanted to communicate. We found that in our director Chad Tingle. With him and the crew, I travelled all across the country conducting countless interviews with nurse educators and nursing leaders in Sacramento, Oakland, Sonoma, Seattle, Oklahoma City, DC, New York, and Connecticut.
I travelled all across the country conducting countless interviews with nurse educators and nursing leaders.
Texas Nursing: What are some of the more important/impactful conversations or tangible results that have come about from the documentary so far?
Duncan: We have been blown away by the results so far from what started as planning in 2022, shooting and editing all of 2023 and releasing the film May 2024 for screenings and film festivals for continuing education. We also share a survey to collect data on the efficacy of the film’s contents (see results so far below).
“Everybody’s Work” has also been officially selected for three film festivals, both of which speak to the film’s resonance with our core mission and audience, as well as the quality of the work amongst its peers.
The Shorty IMPACT Awards
- Audience Honor in Racial Equality, Video, Branded Content
- Silver Honor in Branded Content
- Bronze Honor in Racial Equality
International Black Film Festival
- Winner: “Best Social Justice Film”
- Nominated: Best of Nashville, Best of Festival, Best Documentary
International Social Change Film Festival
- Selected film for ChangeFest Film Festival
In our survey of 2,691 nurses who watched “Everybody’s Work”:
97% said they either strongly agreed or agreed that they learned something from “Everybody’s Work” about how nurses can help patients overcome social and cultural barriers in healthcare.
As many as 95% said they were motivated to understand how they can help patients in their daily work environment overcome the social and cultural barriers in healthcare.
93% said they will incorporate new practices and techniques in the next year and help patients overcome social and cultural barriers in healthcare.
Texas Nursing: What’s next? Where can people see the documentary the future?
Duncan: First, we’re very excited to announce that "Everybody's Work" is now available on-demand. There are a number of ways you can watch the film (in addition to the section in this article above). You can watch it on your own, share it in a classroom setting, or host a screening for maximum impact. We just ask you to tell us a little about yourself in the form at EverybodysWork.com. We’ll then email you a link to the film and additional resources based on your interests. And if you’re not as familiar, please visit this page to learn more https://www.shiftnursing.com/everybodys-work/host-a-screening/
And secondly…We know that starting a SHIFT doesn’t stop at watching “Everybody’s Work.” We’re excited to offer exclusive, extended footage through our SHIFT University YouTube playlist.
This curated collection includes videos on how racism impacts care delivery, academia, and the pursuit of racial healing in healthcare. It expands on the powerful themes and stories in the film, providing even more depth and inspiration for health justice work.
Don’t miss out on future content, and powerful stories. Subscribe to the SHIFT Nursing YouTube channel and join a growing movement committed to change. TN
