Promoting health equity with HBCUs: Breaking away from structural racism

•Major disparities in health outcomes persist•Structural racism undermines efforts to advance health equity•Prioritizing the need for racial and ethnic diversity among nursing leaders•Reconciling funding inequities at Historically Black Colleges and Universities•Sustainable partnerships that benefit communities that are under-resourced The United States continues to be plagued with pervasive health disparities. Leading health and professional organizations acknowledge structural racism as a contributing factor for the lack of a racially diverse nursing workforce particularly those serving in leadership roles which could help to mitigate health disparities among historically stigmatized populations. Purpose Lack of funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and lack of meaningful partnerships, stymie efforts that can be made by nursing programs at HBCUs. Discussion This position paper examines collaborative actions that can address upstream factors that perpetuate healthcare disparities through deep engagement between the policymakers, professional associations, industry, and educational institutions. Faculty representing HBCU's and predominately White institutions, professional organizations, and staff met via videoconference to refine the focus of the paper, determine topic areas for writing teams, and refine details which occurred during weekly meetings. To disengage from structural racism, three critical recommendations are amplified with associated examples.