Bernardine Lacey
Founder of Western Michigan University School of Nursing and ANA Living Legend
Bernadine Lacey was recognized as a “Living Legend” by the American Academy of Nursing in 2014 for her contributions to the nursing profession as an educator, community advocate, and political champion. She was born on July 28, 1932 in Mississippi, a southern state known for racism and discrimination during that time, still she did not allow the racial tension and barriers to prevent her from obtaining her career dreams. She initially earned her nursing diploma from the Gilfoy School of Nursing at the Mississippi Baptist Hospital. She then went on to receive her BSN from Georgetown University in 1969, her Master’s of Arts from Howard in 1985 and her Doctorate of Education from Columbia in 1991. She is honored for founding Western Michigan University’s School of Nursing. Her career also lead her down several paths where she worked as an administrator for Bowie State University’s School of Nursing along with several adjunct faculty roles teaching at Western Michigan University, Howard University, Prince George Community College, Delaware State University, Bowie State University and Children’s National Medical Center.
In addition to her massive educational contributions, she worked on healthcare reform during her time serving on President Clinton’s task force for Healthcare Reform and Health Care Delivery. During an interview she was asked “what does the nurse of the 21st century look like?” her response was that the nursing profession must start from a new “place” and that there be a shift of focus back onto the community. She advocates that as nurses we should strive to understand what the people of our communities need so we can better serve them and allow them to enhance their own knowledge and understanding of their needs, how to utilize their resources and take better care of their health. In her own words: “Community is not just a place, but a state of mind and a way of thinking.” Now retired, she continues to speak at several events and advocate for nurses to further their education and pave the way for the future generations of the profession.
A few weeks after posting this profile, we were saddened to learn of Dr. Lacey’s death on March 26th, 2021. Here is her tribute from Georgetown University.
Sources
We sourced the above information from the American Journal of Nursing and the Delaware Healthcare Symposium Keynote Speech, as well as the sources listed below. To learn more, view her ANA Living Legend Ceremony and hear her recent podcast interview (scroll to the August 2020 episode).
Four American Academy of Nursing “Living Legends” to Address 2020 Maryland Education Summit. (2020). The Maryland Nurse, 21(2), 1–3.
Hamilton L. (1996). Experts address nursing’s future. Michigan Nurse, 69(10), 6–8.
Learn More
To learn more about inclusion in nursing and be part of the national discussion to address racism in nursing, check out and share the following resources:
Know Your History
- American Association for the History of Nursing to attend monthly webinars on topics of nursing history, view the calendar here.
- Nursing CLIO to engage with historians and scholars committed to deep work around historical accuracy in healthcare and nursing.
Examine Bias
- NurseManifest to attend live zoom sessions with fellow nurses on nursing’s overdue reckoning on racism or to sign their pledge.
- Breaking Bias in Healthcare, an online course created by scientist Anu Gupta, to learn how bias is related to our brain’s neurobiology and can be mitigated with mindfulness.
Support & Advocate
- National Coalition for Ethnic Minority Nurse Association to stay engaged with topics relevant to nurses of color.
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