Written by: Semira Saywer
Edited by: Ebonee Bailey
Hey Atlanta! Since this is our first installment of our monthly newsletter brought to you by Pussy Power and the month of October which is breast cancer awareness (so make sure to wear pink) we would love to dedicate this issue to highlighting health first. When it comes to health statistics, African American women are always disproportionately at a disadvantage than any other race. Why has this phenomenon become so increasingly normal over the decades?
Doomsday headlines in the medical field for black women are certainly not something that has just started, but if you aren’t careful, they could take a toll on your mental health. Thankfully we have organizations like the Center for Black Women’s Wellness, Sister’s By Choice, and the Black Women’s Health Imperative who have been putting up a very successful fight to change this narrative for the last 38 + years.
First we have Sister’s By Choice. In 1989 Dr. Rogsbert F. Phillips Reed founded this organization to initially be a support group for women who were diagnosed with breast cancer and their families as well. However, it has grown into something much larger than she could’ve ever imagined. Now, Sister’s By Choice stands on being an innovative leader when it comes to bringing awareness to breast cancer to black communities all across America.
They are taking on the fight of breast cancer with their one of a kind mobile breast clinic. This state of the art breast clinic provides free screenings, treatment referrals and education to those who feel that their symptoms or grievances may have slipped through the cracks of the healthcare system. Since there are nearly 150,000 Georgian women who have apparently fallen into these “cracks” of the health care system, the SBC mobile breast clinic has become more important than ever.
Second, we have The Center for Black Women’s Wellness, an organization in Atlanta where compassion and passion are able to share a common ground. Often times, black women lack the common resources that other races have access to such as adequate health care or even the option to be self-employed and still be eligible for healthcare benefits. CBWW strives to meet this need by working with several programs to connect women to the tools and resources they need to propel them to better physical, economic, and mental health.
CBWW also has the Women’s Economic Self Sufficiency Program (WESSP) to help increase the opportunity for women to become self-employed. They offer three-hour workshops that help teach skills such as how to write a business plan, marketing and advertising, and record keeping and taxes.
The last organization is The Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI). They are the oldest national organization committed to improving the Black Women’s health and wellness. Founded by Byllye Y. Avery in 1983 while attending Spelman College, she stated she felt magic when she gave birth to BWHI and her organization has been making magic for the city ever since.
38 years later, BWHI has over 30+ partners and four programs that help change the physical, emotional and financial wellness and health for black women and girls across our nation. The Change Your Lifestyle program is a 12-month program that gives resources needed to help prevent type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. This program even gives you a personal lifestyle coach that is committed to helping those who join commit to their goals. “Positive Period” is another BWHI program that works with community partners to help distribute menstrual products in communities who don’t have access to them.
All three of these organizations are making a huge impact when it comes to fighting the battles to give black women and girls the access to healthcare that they deserve. Through the use of programs, workshops, and non profit initiatives, soon we will be able to close the gap when it comes to obtaining these resources.
To tap into these organizations, click on the info below:
Center for Black Women’s Wellness | Sisters by Choice | Black Women’s Health Imperative |
Instagram: cbwwatlanta | Instagram: sistersbychoice1989atl | Instagram: blkwomenshealth |
Website: https://www.cbww.org/ | Website: https://www.sistersbychoice.org/ | Website: https://bwhi.org/ |