The views expressed in this post are those of the author, and do not represent the views of their employers or affiliated institutions, or of AJN and Wolters Kluwer.

One of the many lessons my veteran father taught me was this: actions tell you what a person believes in, and you should believe people when they show you what they believe. This principle applies not just to individuals, but also to organizations run by groups of like-minded people.

Many of our national nursing advocacy organizations, like the American Nurses Association (ANA), National League for Nursing (NLN), and others have been complacent in many arenas of nursing advocacy for far too long. Nurses are more burned out than ever, bedside nurse wages have stagnated, the costs of both health care and education continue to balloon, and there is an ongoing epidemic of violence against health care professionals and citizens alike. I find myself reflecting upon my own efforts to address any of these issues faced by my fellow nurses or community, and I cannot help but look to the largest and most powerful nursing organizations with disappointment at their inaction on even the most straightforward issues.

When professional organizations fall short.

Sure, nursing organizations are good at issuing reports and recommendations. For example, in 2025 a new version of the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses was published. Commitment to society and social justice is one of the provisions, including an ethical obligation for both nurses and their professional organizations to work to enact practices, policies, and legislation to promote social justice and facilitate human flourishing. Perhaps the least ambiguous recent social justice issue at the time of this writing was the killing of one of our own, nurse Alex Pretti, by an on-duty Customs and Border Protection officer. But the ANA’s statement on the event fell short. After briefly calling for a transparent investigation and “answers” about his killing, in a seeming non sequitur the discussion shifted to encompass the separate and urgent issue of workplace violence. NLN’s brief statement was little better: in addition to a call for an investigation, their statement also calls for federal authorities to “take necessary steps to deescalate the potential for violent situations.”

While it’s sometimes pointed out that large professional organizations operate under legal, financial, and membership constraints that limit the stances they can take, the statements of the ANA, NLN, and others are as devoid of meaning as they are of action. Where is our call to action from our largest and most powerful advocacy organizations? Why are they not modeling the very ethical principles they themselves outlined and reaffirmed in the 2025 Code of Ethics?

By contrast, National Nurses United (NNU), a nursing labor union and professional advocacy organization, called for removal of immigration agents from local communities, and called for a “no” vote on an upcoming bill that would extend additional funding and manpower to the federal office responsible for Alex Pretti’s killing. They held a week of demonstrations and candlelight vigils in 15 states. It still isn’t a complete solution, but it’s something actionable. NNU has been acting and providing nurses with guidance on actions to promote positive change for the profession and community, for years. Their actions speak.

Small efforts matter.

If you are as disturbed as I am by recent issues or long-standing problems we face, you can advocate in many ways. You can show up, in person, to an event or protest. You can join community aid organizations to learn and assist in their efforts to improve the community. You can donate food, hygiene supplies, money, or time to an aid organization you believe in that uses those resources to serve your community.

You can write to your representatives (in government, but also in professional organizations you are a member of) and tell them what you want them to use their resources to advocate for. You can open dialogues with local labor unions on how to improve your workplace for everyone. These are just a few examples. One of my personal favorite ways to help is by crocheting cold weather gear for people in my community in need. Small efforts matter.

Unfortunately, the response to the killing of nurse Pretti is one particularly acute example of a longstanding history of inaction by our largest nursing professional organizations like the ANA. Advocacy is a verb. It’s time that we, as nurses, recognize inaction to be an indication of what organizations believe in and reconsider which organizations deserve our support and attention. It’s time to take advocacy into our own hands.

Jacqueline Christianson, PhD, RN, is an assistant professor at Marquette University – College of Nursing. Milwaukee, WI.