National movement sparks local response

The death of George Floyd shook the nation’s collective conscience. Watching a white Minneapolis police officer detain the African American man for eight minutes and 46 seconds with a knee to the neck disrupted existing hate, bias and systemic racism across the world.

For Carter Todd and members of the Capitol City Black Nurses Association (CCBNA), national protests prompted a local response.

“As representatives of our profession and voices for our Black community, we knew we had to put leadership into action and lend our experiences and expertise to the national dialogue,” says Todd, CCBNA president. “It’s terrible that something so tragic had to happen for our voices to be heard, but we’ve been non-stop since May 26.”

From virtual listening sessions to a call for health equity to local demonstrations to stand in support of racial justice, CCBNA members rallied to bring the community together and find solutions.

“Our goal is to put an end to violence being perpetrated in the Black community and dismantle the systemic racism in this country,” Todd adds.

Todd’s leadership extends beyond CCBNA. He now serves on a UC Davis Health initiative to advance diversity, equity and inclusion.