As the largest and most trusted body of healthcare professionals, nurses are uniquely positioned to lead the charge against systemic racism. But in 2023, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) research showed that 6 in 10 nurses were experiencing or witnessing racism and discrimination by their peers. This was evidence that institutions had not yet figured out how to shift the culture, despite promises following the 2020 summer of anti-racist activism and promises by nursing schools, associations, and healthcare organizations across the county. What we found was that nurses need a community — and a rallying cry — in the fight for equity.
With SHIFT Nursing, RWJF aimed to build a platform where nurses can be empowered with accessible resources for action. Through storytelling, SHIFT Nursing creates content across mediums — social media, written content, video, podcast, and documentaries — that engage nurses around equitable and anti-racist practices.
To amplify this movement for change, we needed to reach and inspire not only everyday nurses but also those in positions of power to affect the systems where they learn and work. So, we expanded our storytelling medium to a full-length documentary, surrounded by resourceful content on our website to foster conversations, raise awareness of solutions and ultimately spark action.
"Everybody’s Work: Healing What Hurts Us All" challenges the notion that if racism isn't personally experienced, it doesn't exist, and urges us to confront the reality that it impacts us all. Through the lens of fearless nurses, this documentary not only exposes the biases that result in worse health outcomes for people of color, but it captures the painful impact they have — both on patients and nurses.
In the film, nurses are challenging the status quo by fostering a community-driven approach, embracing equity-minded practices, and advocating for inclusive education, which in turn chart a healthier future for all. Their stories serve as a rallying cry for a movement, reminding us that healing from racism in healthcare transcends individual professions and identities. It's everybody's work.
Given that the documentary is heavily focused on nursing education as the foundation of professional nurse culture, our campaign efforts primarily focused on reaching nursing schools, educators, students, as well as Media, then healthcare/nursing leaders within health systems and advocates.
We anchored the launch of “Everybody’s Work” around Nurses Week in May 2024, a time when many journalists are not only elevating nurse stories, but institutions — and nurses — are looking for opportunities to celebrate the profession. We hosted the film’s first screening during Nurses Week in Washington, D.C., a location where many associations and schools are headquartered, and many policymakers and social justice advocates live and work.
In 2023, SHIFT outperformed benchmark engagement rates compared to similar advocacy brands, and through the end of 2023 highlighted conversations and research about racism in nursing. This intentionally set the stage for the release of “Everybody’s Work” in 2024, which we began teasing in March 2024. With the film debut date established, we began teasing the film over these two months prompting conversations about anti-racism in nursing to bolster our social media following and newsletter subscriptions to learn more about the film’s release.
Because film festivals were part of our strategy for impact, we could not release the film publicly. Our primary call to action once the film debuted was to encourage our audience to request to host a private screening. We positioned the film as an inspirational complement to curriculum for nursing educators. For workplaces and associations, we positioned it as a tool to foster healing, anti-racist conversations by featuring solutions to empower.
"Everybody's Work" is more than a film; it's a call for change on an individual and systemic level. Therefore, the tagline for the campaign is “Start your SHIFT,” which encourages audiences to visit EverybodysWork.com. There, they’ll find additional resources for education and action, including opportunities to request to host a screening of the film or provide an endorsement. Extended footage from the film has been packaged into themed playlists on YouTube to explore issues further.
“Everybody’s Work” has transformed the nursing community by igniting vital conversations and driving systemic change. The film’s emotionally engaging content reached thousands of nurses nationwide and beyond. At its first screening at The Howard Theatre on May 10, over 200 nurse leaders, deans, and federal nurse officials gathered to engage with its powerful message. Social media amplified this impact, generating nearly 204,000 impressions in two weeks and boosting engagement by 623%. Instagram followers nearly doubled, while LinkedIn grew by 3,000 in 10 months.
Since its release during Nurses Week in May 2024, more than 1,000 institutions—including nursing schools, hospitals, and health systems—have requested screenings. Among these, 324 nursing schools, representing nearly 13% of U.S. programs and including top-ranked institutions like Emory, Duke, and the University of Pennsylvania, embraced the film as a catalyst for change. A post-screening survey of 3,200 participants (77% nurses) revealed that 97% learned new strategies for overcoming social and cultural barriers, 95% believe every nurse should see the film, and 93% said it would change how they approach their work.
Screenings have sparked rich dialogue and policy discussions, with many reporting that the film validated long-ignored experiences and inspired initiatives such as mandatory bias training. Endorsements from organizations like the NBNA, Stanford Health Care, and the CDC underscore its role in advancing health equity. Through its moving narrative, “Everybody’s Work” empowers nurses—especially those of color—to feel seen and heard while driving a national movement for lasting change in healthcare.
