The Invisibility of the Black Nurse in the Healthcare Field
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21727/rpu.v17i1.5103Abstract
The invisibility of Black nurses reflects the historical inequalities and racism that affect their recognition and professional advancement. Stories like that of Maria José Bezerra highlight exclusion based on race and gender. Racism operates at personal, interpersonal, and institutional levels, limiting opportunities and reinforcing stigmas. This study aims to investigate the causes of Black nurses' invisibility in healthcare and is presented as an integrative literature review with an exploratory qualitative approach. The research was conducted using databases such as the "Nursing Database," "Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature," "Online System for Searching and Analyzing Medical Literature," "Psychology Index," and the "Spanish Bibliographic Index in Health Sciences." The descriptors used were nursing, structural racism, racism, Black population, social construction of ethnicity, healthcare personnel. A total of 235 articles were found, of which 9 were selected after a full reading. The articles point to historical roots of invisibility linked to structural racism. Barriers such as inequality in access to education, workplace violence, and institutional racism exacerbate the issue. Anti-racist strategies in professional training and the appreciation of cultural practices are essential to promote equity and representation in nursing. The invisibility of Black nurses results from historical and structural factors, such as institutional racism, academic exclusion, and labor market inequalities, demanding urgent actions for greater equity.
Keywords: Nursing; Structural Racism; Black Population; Social Construction of Ethnicity; Healthcare Personnel.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Weslei Lopes de Sousa, Luther King de Andrade Santana, Marilei de Melo Tavares, Lília Marques Simões Rodrigues, Thainá Oliveira Lima
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