Assistant nurse manager Aron King saw the power of nurses from an early age, inspiring him to not only become one but to bring Black nurses to the bedside to provide the care he admired as a young child. As a Historian of the Capitol City Black Nurses Association (CCBNA), a chapter of the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA) 40 Under 40 awardee, and one of 10 recipients of a yearlong mentorship through the Johnson & Johnson Minority Nurse Leadership Program, he embodies the importance of diversity in nursing and what happens when you bring passion about this issue to the profession.

It wasn’t until he began his master’s degree leadership program at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis that Aron understood the bigger picture of his role in serving the Black community and inspiring Black nurses. One way he shows up in this area is by leveraging a valued space in Black culture to fulfill the mission of eliminating health disparities.

Aron united with fellow CCBNA leader — Carter Todd, MS, MBA, RN, CCRN, — and leaders from his sister chapter Greater New York City Black Nurses Association (GNYCBNA) Dr. Julius Johnson and Jose Perpignan Jr. — to tackle healthcare disparities. One of the ways he did this is through Barbershop Health Talks, a coastal collaboration aimed at meeting Black men not just where they are, but where they are most comfortable: the barbershop, a cornerstone of Black culture.

In the summer of 2021, Aron forged a partnership between CCBNA and the National Association of Hispanic Nurses Sacramento Chapter to launch the inaugural Breaking Down Barriers to Nursing virtual program, which drew in over 250 registered students. In the summer of 2022, the partnership expanded to include Sacramento chapters of the Hmong Nurses Association and Philippine Nurses Association of America for an in-person program at Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing.

Aron’s doctoral dissertation focuses on Cut to the Chase, a program created in an effort to reduce health disparities within the Black community and enhance the mental, emotional, and social wellbeing of Black males in Sacramento. It was established by two Black-led, non-profit organizations (The Greater Sacramento Urban League and CCBNA) to address access, providing complementary professional counseling in the form of group therapy, and stigma, utilizing the barbershop as a safe, trusted, and unassuming meeting space. As he pursues his doctoral degree at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, Aron exemplifies what it means to be a disruptor and changemaker in nursing.