A moment we didn’t see on TV: Patrice received a standing ovation at the Emmys after winning! Though her speech (and the category) were cut from the broadcast, this memory lives forever in our hearts.
Patrice is iconic, but her story is not unique. As she reminded us, millions of disabled people are fighting to survive, especially in the face of Medicaid cuts. That ovation was powerful, but it’s only a fraction of the recognition the disability community deserves.
#DisabilityJustice #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
BWHI is a proud Kindred Partner of Black Mamas Matter Alliance ( @blackmamasmatter ), the premier national network of Black women-led and Black-led, birth and reproductive justice organizations and multi-disciplinary professionals. Last weekend, BWHI’s Senior Advisor, Maternal Health, Dr. Isabel Morgan, and Policy Analyst, Christiana Verdelus, participated in the 2025 BMMA Convening to reconnect with birth workers, scholars, and policy experts in Black maternal health.
Representing our Policy and Research Team, Dr. Morgan and Christiana presented on BWHI’s maternal health areas of focus and how BWHI is strategically navigating federal policy advocacy to ensure that Black maternal health remains a priority.
One key strategy highlighted included prioritizing partnerships and coalition-building to stay informed, coalesce around messaging and priorities, and affirm our commitments. We are grateful to BMMA for fostering a sacred and intentional space, and remaining a committed partner.
It’s Prostate Health Awareness Month and it’s time to talk to our brothas.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers for men, and Black men are more likely to be diagnosed and at a later stage.
Encourage the men in your life to:
✅ Get regular checkups
✅ Ask about PSA screenings
✅ Know their family history
Sis, send that reminder text. Brothas, book that appointment. Don’t wait until something feels wrong. Regular checkups and screenings save lives.
Men, looking for help in maintaining a healthy lifestyle? Check our BWHI's Men's room! Link in our bio
#ProstateHealth #BWHI #BlackMensHealth #TheImperative
“I felt gaslit.” - Lori Harvey
Lori Harvey just shared how she lived for years with excruciating pain, weight swings, acne, and other symptoms of PCOS + endometriosis and was repeatedly told by her gynecologist that nothing was wrong. She knew deep down something was off, but her concerns were dismissed until she finally got a diagnosis.
To every woman who’s ever felt unseen, invalidated, or like her pain was just “something to be tolerated,” you deserve better. Your body is talking. You do have the right to answers.
Here’s what Lori’s journey reminds us:
👉🏾It’s valid to question when “you’re fine” doesn’t feel fine.
👉🏾Conditions like PCOS and endometriosis are treatable, but only if we’re heard.
👉🏾Awareness + advocacy = real change.
For PCOS Awareness Month, we are speaking up, trusting our bodies and pushing for healthcare that believes us.💜 ✊🏾
#PCOSAwareness #EndometriosisAwareness #HealthEquity #BlackWomensHealth #BWHI #TheImperative
Mid week reminder!!!!
“Black women are NOT here to shrink, play small, or apologize for taking up space.”
We were built to shine, to lead, and to walk unapologetically in our power.
Shout out to @thefit_motivateher for dropping this message right when we needed it.
Take up ALL the space sis!💜
#BlackGirlMagic #UnapologeticallyMe #BWHI #TheImperative
HIV/AIDS doesn’t care about your age, it can affect any of us. What matters is awareness, regular testing, and access to care.
Have real conversations in our families, with our partners, and in our communities about HIV/AIDS.
Sis, know your status. Bro, protect your health. Auntie, uncle, cousins, this is all of us. Awareness is love. Care is power. 💪🏾
To learn more about testing, PrEP and HIV prevention, check out On Our Own Terms, 🔗 in our bio
#HIVAIDSAwareness #HealthEquity #BWHI #TheImperative
🗳️ Today is National Voter Registration Day!
Sis, making sure our voices are heard starts with being registered to vote. Every ballot matters, and every one of us counts. ✊🏾
✅ Are you registered? Double check.
✅ Know someone who isn’t? Help them sign up.
✅ Make sure the young folks in your life are ready too!
Our communities have fought too hard for this right, we can’t afford to sit this out.
For details on how to register or check your status, visit the National Voter Registration website. 🔗 Link in our bio.
#NationalVoterRegistrationDay #BWHI #TheImperative #BlackWomensHealth
We’re thrilled to announce that Joy D. Calloway, MHSA, MBA, has been named President & CEO of the Black Women’s Health Imperative.
At such a pivotal time in our country, this leadership transition represents not only a new season for BWHI but a powerful opportunity to deepen our collective impact. Joy brings decades of experience as a bold and visionary leader with a lifelong commitment to health equity. She is currently serving as Executive Director of the National Medical Association.
She will officially step into the role on October 6, ushering in a powerful new chapter for BWHI. Read the full announcement at the link in our bio.
ICYMI: Starting October 1, lawmakers are pushing Senate Bill 323, a bill that would create a total abortion ban with almost no exceptions, not event for cases of rape or incest in South Carolina.
Here’s what’s at stake:
➡️Abortion could be equated with homicide, carrying up to a 30-year prison sentence.
➡️Sharing info about abortion by phone or online could become a felony.
➡️It could restrict access to common forms of birth control, including IUDs, emergency contraception, and in vitro fertilization.
This is not just extreme, it’s dangerous. It silences us, criminalizes care, and puts lives at risk.
Read more, Link in our bio.
#ReproductiveJustice #BlackWomensHealth #BWHI #TheImperative
If you missed the highlights from NYFW, you need to see the @ActivelyBlack show: “There’s Greatness in Our DNA”, a powerful tribute to our roots and legacy.
Ilyasah Shabazz (daughter of Malcolm X) & Bernice King (daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) walked the runway, leaving the crowd in tears!
The show also included:
Ruby Bridges
Cecil J. Williams (the iconic photo drinking from a “whites only” fountain in SC, 1956)
Tommie Smith & John Carlos (raised fists for Black pride at the 1968 Olympics)
Ben Haith (designer of the Juneteenth flag)
This wasn’t just fashion, it was history walking!
📷: @saada___
#ActivelyBlack #NYFW #Legacy #BlackExcellence #GreatnessInOurDNA #BWHI #TheImperative
Sis, read that again. Too often we’re told to push through, hold it down for everyone, and never let the cracks show. But true strength is giving yourself grace. It’s resting when you need to, asking for help without guilt, and rising again when you’re ready.
Your softness is strength.
#BWHI #TheImperative #BlackWomensHealth #RestIsResistance #StrengthInSisterhood
In case you missed what happened with Love Island’s Olandria & Chelley, let’s talk about it.
These two showed up for their castmates in every way, but somehow got labeled “bullies” & “mean girls.” Sound familiar? 👀
Too often when Black women speak up or call out what’s wrong, reality TV (and the world) flips it and villainizes us.
The goalposts stay moving for Black women. Especially confident Black women.
Too many of us grew up feeling like our skin tone, our hair texture, our beauty didn’t measure up.
To see sistas stand tall, dark skin glowing, hair poppin’, refusing to shrink themselves, is the real power. That’s what representation looks like 🙌🏾 @x_olandria @_slimthin
#BlackWomensHealth #BWHI #TheImperative
Beyond the Diagnosis: Sickle Cell Warrior
As part of our Beyond the Diagnosis series, we sat down with @faiithooo , MPH, a sickle cell warrior, advocate, and future physician.
Faith shared how her pain crises were so severe she could barely breathe or speak, yet instead of being believed, she was labeled as “drug-seeking.”
“That kind of treatment hurts just as much as the pain in my body. It chips away at your dignity and makes you question if you will ever truly be seen,” she told us.
Her story is a powerful reminder: sickle cell patients deserve compassion, not stigma. And their voices deserve to be heard.
Click the 🔗 in our bio to read more of Faiths story
#BeyondTheDiagnosis #SickleCellWarriors #HealthEquity #BWHI #TheImperative
Melinda French Gates is stepping up with a $100 million commitment, $50M from her organization Pivotal and $50M from Wellcome Leap to accelerate research into women’s health areas that have long been ignored, like cardiovascular disease, menopause, autoimmune disorders, and mental health.
For too long, our health needs have been sidelined. Only 1% of pharmaceutical research funding outside of cancer supports women’s health issues. Now, change is on the horizon. The first projects will be selected by 2026 and aim for results within 3–5 years.
This is the kind of breakthrough we’ve waited for. Research for us, backed by bold investment.Our health deserves to be central, not afterthought.
#WomensHealthMatters #ResearchEquity #BWHI #TheImperative #HealthJustice
No student should have to endure what is happening right now. The fear. The anxiety. If you have a student in your family, or in your circle who attends an HBCU, please check on them. Let them know they are seen and supported. Their mental health, safety, and dignity matter, and today and every day we stand with them.
#HBCUs #BWHI #TheImperative
Perimenopause is the stage nobody prepared us for. 👀 From hot flashes to brain fog, it can be overwhelming. But you don’t have to figure it out alone.
When you walk into your doctor’s office, these 3 questions will help you check if they truly understand what you’re going through, and whether it’s time to seek other options. 💜
✨ Your health deserves answers.
✨ Your body deserves care.
✨ You deserve to be heard.
Save this post & bring it to your next appointment. 💪🏾
If you missed our Power in the Pause event, It was a dynamic, intergenerational conversation on reclaiming our health and power from perimenopause to postmenopause. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered, click the link in our bio to watch the replay!
#PerimenopauseAwareness #BlackWomensHealth #BWHI #TheImperative
Today, we remember not only the lives lost, but also the strength of those who survived and continue to carry the weight of that day.
On September 11, 2001, Genelle Guzman-McMillan was working on the 64th floor of the North Tower when tragedy struck. After the North Tower collapsed, she was trapped under the rubble for 27 hours, separated from her colleagues, who did not survive.
Genelle was the last person pulled alive from the World Trade Center rubble, a miracle of survival, faith, and unshakable will to live.
Her story may not always be retold in the broader history of that day, but we remember her resilience. We honor her strength as a Black woman whose survival reminds us of the power of hope, even in the darkest moments.
We will not forget. 💜
#NeverForget #911 #BlackWomensStrength #Resilience #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of one of our @rarediseasediversitycoaltion RDDC’s Champions and scleroderma rare warrior, Demeshia “Demi” Montgomery.
Demi was a beacon of courage, compassion, and leadership within the rare disease community. As an integral member of RDDC’s PPCJ Working Group, she played a pivotal role in shaping the launch of the RDDC Patient-Caregiver Advisory Board, ensuring that equity was always a priority and that diverse patients and families were seen, heard, and valued. She was not only a tireless advocate for BIPOC representation in health advocacy, policy, and legislation but also a gifted speaker, creator, and connector who uplifted voices that too often go unheard.
Beyond her work with RDDC, Demi’s impact extended through her co-founding of The Waiting Room Entertainment, a platform designed to inspire, empower, and transform passion into action. She embraced life as an advocate, wife, mother, and leader with unwavering strength and authenticity, leaving behind a legacy that will continue to shape the rare disease space for years to come.
Demi’s voice and vision remind us of the power of resilience, the necessity of equity, and the unshakable importance of community. For those who wish to support her family and loved ones, a GoFundMe link is in our bio.
Your Iife is valuable. Your presence matters. And someone needs you here.
Suicide became the third leading cause of death for Black young people ages 10 to 24, and Black teen girls were nearly twice as likely as their male peers to attempt it.
On Suicide Prevention Day, take a moment to check in on your loved ones. A simple call, text, or “how are you really doing?” can make all the difference.
📞Need support? Advocates like Elyse Fox, founder of @SadGirlsClub, are working to dismantle stigma and create safe spaces where healing can begin.
Spread love, break stigma, and save lives. 💜
#SuicidePreventionDay #BlackMentalHealth #BWHI #TheImperative
This is major for families in New Mexico!
In an unprecedented move, New Mexico is making child care FREE for every resident! No income requirements, no copays! Starting this November, it’ll be the first state in the nation to provide universal child care.
We know the cost of child care has been breaking families for years, especially Black and Brown women who often carry the weight of caregiving while working to keep households afloat. This policy is more than a win for moms, it’s a win for equity, opportunity, and community well-being.
Shoutout to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for showing the country what it looks like to put families first. 👏🏾
#ChildCareForAll #HealthEquity #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative