Our President and CEO, Joy D. Calloway @thejoyd_ , sat down with @adriannahopkins of ABC News WJLA to discuss the early findings from our national menopause survey, and the data is already shaping what we do next.
More than half of Black women told us they do not have enough information to manage their symptoms, and 42 percent reported struggling with depression during this transition.
You can watch the full segment at the link in our bio.
#MenopauseAwareness #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative #HealthEquity #BWHI
This latest March of Dimes report is heartbreaking… but not surprising.
Once again, we’re seeing the truth laid bare: this country is in a maternal and infant health crisis and Georgia is one of the states suffering the most.
For the fourth year in a row, the U.S. earned a D grade for preterm births. Georgia received another F… another failing grade when it comes to protecting mothers and babies.
In 2024, Georgia’s preterm birth rate was 11.8%, barely any improvement from last year and still higher than the national rate of 10.4%. And we know who carries the greatest burden of these failures: Black women.
This isn’t just a statistic; it’s our sisters, our nieces, our daughters. A system that keeps failing us is not a system we can stay silent about. We deserve better. Our babies deserve better. And we won’t stop fighting for the care, respect, and justice our communities need. 💜✊🏾
#BlackMaternalHealth #ProtectBlackWomen #BirthJustice #TheImperative #BWHI
We are celebrating big today!
We are proud to announce that our film Me Period is a Silver Winner in the Health: Documentary or Film category at the 5th Annual Anthem Awards! 💜@anthemawards
The Anthem Awards honor purpose-driven storytelling from around the world. Out of more than 2,000 submissions from 42 countries, Me Period rose to the top. And that means something powerful!
Me Period was created to shift the narrative around Black women’s reproductive health, menstruation, and the generational silence we’ve carried for far too long. This recognition isn’t just an award, it’s validation that our experiences matter, our bodies matter, and our truth matters.
Thank you to our incredible film director @Iamlisacunningham, our fearless partners, all of the moms and daughters in the film, @iamtabithabrown , @thesherylleeralph , and their daughters, and our community who continue to elevate our mission for health equity.
We’re just getting started. 💜 Learn more about Me Period and how you can host your own screening (link in our bio)
#MePeriod #AnthemAwards #HealthEquity #BlackWomensHealth #BWHI #ReproductiveJustice #TheImperative
Alabama, y’all SHOWED UP!
Power In The Pause in Montgomery was everything we needed and more! A room full of Black women learning, laughing, unlearning, healing, and taking back our power together. 💜🔥
From real talk about perimenopause and menopause… to conversations with our incredible speakers… to the sisterhood, the energy… this was a day of pure empowerment, education, and liberation.
We talked about our bodies.
We talked about our symptoms.
We talked about our experiences.
And we refused to suffer in silence ever again.
To every woman who joined us: THANK YOU for bringing your questions, your stories, your joy, and your courage. This journey through midlife hits differently when we walk it together. 💜
Where should Power in the Pause go next? 👀
#PowerInThePause #BWHI #MenopauseTruths #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative #PerimenopauseAwareness #MidlifeMagic
Advocacy looks good on you.
So does supporting Black women’s health.
Every tee, hoodie, and tote helps power health equity for Black women & girls. 💜
Shop BWHI. Link in bio.
#BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #HealthEquity #AdvocacyInAction
Another Black pregnant woman in active labor, in pain, in distress, clearly needing help but was ignored and turned away. And once again, we’re left heartbroken, furious, and asking the same question: How is this still happening?
This is the reality of Black maternal health in America:
📌 Our pain is dismissed
📌 Our symptoms are minimized
📌 Our lives are treated as less urgent
📌 Our safety is never guaranteed in systems meant to protect us
This isn’t an isolated incident, it’s a pattern. A pattern rooted in bias, in neglect, and in the ongoing failure to listen to Black women.
Black women deserve:
💜 To be believed
💜 To be treated with urgency
💜 To receive respectful, competent care
💜 To survive pregnancy and childbirth, not fear it
To every Black woman navigating pregnancy right now:
You are not “too emotional.”
You are not “exaggerating.”
You are not “fine.”
Your voice matters. Your life matters.
We see you. We fight for you. We stand with you.
Maternal justice is a human right.
📷 @drkiarraking
#blackwomenshealth #blackmaternalhealth #TheImperative #BWHI
The government shutdown may be over, but the impact is far from it. As states restart food assistance, they are also rolling out new restrictions and cuts that will make it harder for many to keep their benefits, removing millions of people from SNAP immediately.
One of the biggest changes impacts ABAWDs (able-bodied adults without dependents) and parents or guardians of children over the age of 14.
Groups that were always exempt, veterans, unhoused individuals, and young adults aging out of foster care, now also have to meet these requirements.
To keep receiving benefits, they must now show proof of:
👉🏾 Working at least 80 hours a month
👉🏾 Being in school
👉🏾 Participating in a training or workforce program
For some SNAP recipients, especially in rural areas and places with high unemployment, work requirements don’t reflect real opportunity. Many face barriers beyond their control, no transportation, caregiving responsibilities, limited access to jobs, and now risk losing the benefits they rely on to feed themselves and their families.
Food assistance is a lifeline for families and communities already facing inequities in housing, wages, and health. These policy shifts create even more barriers for people who are already stretched thin.
We’ll keep sharing updates, resources, and ways to navigate these changes. 💜
#FoodSecurity #HealthEquity #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative #BWHI
Link in our bio
https://www.newsweek.com/snap-benefits-update-millions-removed-from-program-11058795
Sometimes we start over a few times before we get consistent. We’re human! What matters is that you keep going, keep trying, and give yourself grace along the way. 💜
And if you’re looking for an accountability partner? Sis… partner with BWHI’s CYL² lifestyle program.
Support, structure, and no judgment, just real change.
👉🏾 bwhi.org/cyl2 (link in our bio)
#WhooptyDoo #CYL2 #BlackWomensHealth
You deserve it, sis. No guilt. No explanation. Just care. 💜
Your body, your mind, your spirit… all of them are asking you to slow down and pour back into yourself.
#BlackWomensHealth #BWHI #TheImperative
Alabama, today is the day!
Join us for Power in the Pause, an unforgettable evening of real talk, real stories, and real solutions about perimenopause, menopause, and midlife wellness.
We’re bringing the energy, the education, and the sisterhood featuring:
@msmegee – Demetria McGee
@whentoritalks – Tori Dixon
@doctorshelia – Dr. Shelia Payton
Dr. Shakita B. Jones, MPA
And a special line dance break with @the_sherika_nicole
This isn’t your average health talk, it’s a celebration of women learning, connecting, and reclaiming this powerful chapter of life!
We have a few seats left ➡️ [Link In Our Bio]
#PowerInThePause #MenopauseAwareness #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #HealthEquity #TheImperative #MontgomeryAL
Say hey to our BWHI intern London Johnson 👋🏾💜
She’s leading a 5-week series on cervical cancer + HPV, dropping knowledge we all need.
Quick fact: Cervical cancer used to be one of the deadliest cancers for women, until the Pap test (1940s) and the discovery of HPV (1980s) changed everything.
London is bringing the facts, the history, and the urgency. Because awareness + regular screening save lives—especially for Black women, who continue to face disproportionate risks.
Stay tuned… class is in session! @nationalmsk
#HPVHistoryWeek #CervicalHealthAwareness #KnowYourHealth #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
Type 2 diabetes is taking a devastating toll on our community. Too many of us are left without answers, care, or support. But that ends now!
You have the power to prevent or manage diabetes, and we’re here to help. 💜
Our CYL² Lifestyle Management Program is designed for us, by us, and is culturally tailored for Black women to take charge of their health and change the narrative around diabetes.
If you’re at risk of Type 2 diabetes, CYL² helps you:
👉🏾Monitor blood glucose
👉🏾Build a team of support
👉🏾Manage medications
👉🏾Prevent complications
👉🏾Make lasting lifestyle shifts
Already managing diabetes? Our Diabetes Self-Management Support Program (DSMSP) helps you reduce stress, manage weight, and stay supported every step of the way.
🫶🏾 Sis, your health is worth fighting for. The links are in our bio!
#BlackWomensHealth #DiabetesAwareness #HealthEquity #CYL2 #BWHI #TheImperative
That’s right @drkameelahsays ‼️What happened in Texas, a Black other ignored while in active labor is devastating, infuriating, and far too familiar. No one should ever have to beg to be seen while their body is fighting to bring life into this world.
Black women deserve dignity. We deserve to be listened to. We deserve care that doesn’t question our pain or our humanity.
This should never happen. Not in Texas. Not anywhere.
Our lives, our babies matter. 💜
#BlackMaternalHealth #ListenToBlackWomen #RespectBlackMothers
It’s World Diabetes Day, and we’re centering Black women, because the numbers demand it:
👉🏾 Black women are nearly twice as likely to develop diabetes.
👉🏾 We’re more likely to experience complications like heart disease.
👉🏾 Many of us don’t know we’re at risk.
But we have the power to change the story.
That’s why we created CYL², our culturally grounded lifestyle management program that helps prevent or manage Type 2 diabetes with real support, real tools, and real community.
Take the risk test today: bit.ly/CYL2RISKTEST (Link in our bio)
Knowledge is power. Prevention is possible. Support is here.
#WorldDiabetesDay #NationalDiabetesAwarenessMonth #BWHI #TheImperative
New Jersey… WOW. 💜🔥
You filled the room with power, honesty, and love. Our conversations were deep, the questions were real, and the energy? Unmatched.
Now we’re packing that same sisterhood up and heading to Montgomery, Alabama, this weekend!
Alabama, get ready. We’re about to talk, learn, laugh, heal, and reclaim this season together. Seats are limited, grab your spot now! 👉🏾 bwhi.org/powerinthepause-al
(Link in our Bio)
#PowerInThePause #BlackWomensHealth #BWHI
The government shutdown may be ending, but healthcare remains at the center of the fight for our communities.
For Black women and families, rising premiums, unstable coverage, and widening gaps in care are daily, personal, and deeply felt.
As BWHI continues to push for equity in every corner of the system, we’re clear on this: Access to affordable, quality care is non-negotiable. Our communities deserve healthcare that doesn’t break the bank, ignore our needs, or leave us behind.
Our National Health Policy Agenda 2025–2026 is more urgent than ever. At the heart of this agenda is Access to Quality and Affordable Health Care, because our ability to live healthy, whole lives depends on systems that actually work for us.
Read the 2025-2026 Health Policy Agenda: (Link in our Bio)
Let’s talk facts. According to the preliminary results from our menopause survey, 54% of women said they don’t have enough information to manage their menopause symptoms effectively. That’s more than half of us navigating brain fog, fatigue, night sweats and more without the tools or trusted care we deserve.
So when the FDA announced it’s removing the black box safety warning from hormone replacement therapy, that matters. For years, this warning scared women, especially Black women, away from a treatment that could ease symptoms and improve quality of life. Now, the science has caught up with what many doctors have known: when guided by informed, culturally competent care, HRT can be a safe and effective option.
But access and understanding still aren’t equal. Too many of us are still dismissed, misinformed, or left out of the conversation altogether.
Learn more about our survey and get resources for your perimenopause and menopause journey
🔗 Full survey results: powerinthepause.bwhi.org
(Link in our bio)
#PowerInPause #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
Alabama, we’re coming to YOU!
Join us Sunday, November 16th in Montgomery, AL for Power in the Pause, an unforgettable evening of real talk, real stories, and real solutions about perimenopause, menopause, and midlife wellness.
We’re bringing the energy, the education, and the sisterhood featuring:
@msmegee – Demetria McGee
@whentoritalks – Tori Dixon
@doctorshelia – Dr. Shelia Payton
Dr. Shakita B. Jones, MPA
And a special line dance break with @the_sherika_nicole
This isn’t your average health talk, it’s a celebration of women learning, connecting, and reclaiming this powerful chapter of life!
Seats are limited, so grab your girls and RSVP now ➡️ [Link In Our Bio]
#PowerInThePause #MenopauseAwareness #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #HealthEquity #TheImperative #MontgomeryAL
Today, we honor the fierce and fearless women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-Black, all-woman battalion to serve overseas during World War II.
Known as the “Six Triple Eight,” these 855 women faced racism, sexism, and the unimaginable pressures of war, yet they delivered. Literally. They processed millions of pieces of backlogged mail to keep soldiers connected to their families and hope alive on the front lines.
They served with grace, grit, and excellence at a time when their country didn’t fully see them, but we see them now. We honor their courage, their sisterhood, and their legacy that continues to inspire generations of Black women leading and breaking barriers today.
“No mail, low morale” wasn’t just a slogan, it was their mission. And they carried it out with unmatched pride.
#VeteransDay #SixTripleEight #BlackWomenInService #BWHI #BlackHistory #TheImperative
🚨 Big news for women’s health!
The FDA will officially remove the black box safety warning from all hormone therapy products used to treat menopause and perimenopause symptoms.
For years, these bold warnings suggested hormone therapy could increase the risk of cancer, dementia, heart attacks, and strokes, fueling fear and stigma around treatment.
Now, after a robust scientific review, the FDA says it’s time to “stop the fear machine” and ensure women have access to safe, effective options to improve their quality of life.
This decision means greater access, less fear, and more choices for women navigating menopause, especially Black women, who are often dismissed, misdiagnosed, or under-treated when it comes to symptom management. 💜
#MenopauseAwareness #HealthEquity #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative #BWHI