Join the nurses of South Africa in celebrating Mandela Day

Sometimes, a step taken by one person can directly influence the destiny of many others. In South Africa, this happened when Nelson Mandela stepped from Robben Island, where he had been incarcerated for many years for anti-apartheid activism, into the eventual leadership of a new, multiracial democracy. He spent more than 67 years serving his community, his country and the world at large.

Nelson Mandela

In recognition of his contributions, Mandela Day was inaugurated in 2009 on Nelson Mandela’s birthday. Today—Monday, 18 July—he is 93. Mandela Day is a call to action for people everywhere to take responsibility for making the world a better place—one step at a time—just as Mandela did. It’s also a call to every nurse to be accountable for their responsibilities, to make the environment in which they practice—clinical, educational, management or research—a customer-friendly and focused environment.

We should believe that we can change the world of nursing to make it a better place—a better place not only for the patient or client, but also for ourselves. The decision to make a difference by making changes in our own internal and external environments starts with ourselves, and it can start today. Today, you can make a creative change in your daily routine that will have positive results. Why not take 67 seconds of your workday—one second for each year that Nelson Mandela spent in service to his community—and devote that time contributing to the happiness of others around you?

It’s a small gesture to show our solidarity with humanity. It’s about going that extra mile—or smile. Madiba, as Mandela is known to many, loves the children of Africa, so why not take 67 seconds to do something special for a child? Can you devote 1 minute and 7 seconds of your time to celebrate the theme of Mandela Day with the nurses of South Africa? It would be a small step toward a continuous, global movement for good in nursing.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.