This Valentine’s Day, don’t forget your first love: you. ❤️
Love your heart.
Love your body.
Love your boundaries.
Whole-body health means caring for your mind, protecting your peace, moving your body, nourishing yourself well, and saying “no” when you need to. Showing love to yourself isn’t selfish, it’s necessary.
Buy the flowers. Book the appointment. Take the walk. Cancel what drains you.
Because the greatest love story you’ll ever have is the one you build with your own body and well-being. 💜
However you’re celebrating, one thing is true. Black women don’t just show up for each other, we hold each other.
The friend who makes you laugh until you forget the stress.
The one who listens when the world feels heavy.
The one who won’t let you shrink. 🙌🏾
Drop your vibe below 👇🏾 and tag your sis! Healing hits different when we do it with our girls!
Black Love Looks Like…
Aunties, Sistas, block parties, kitchen table talks, church hugs, late-night laughter. That’s not just culture. That’s care.
Black love has always been a form of healthcare.
In a world that asks Black women to be strong without support, community has regulated our nervous systems, softened our stress, and kept us alive.
We didn’t survive alone.
We survived because someone checked in.
Someone showed up.
Someone stayed.
That is what Black love looks like.
And that love is still protecting us.
#BlackLoveDay #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
We have fun, but we also serve! BWHI came together to strategize, commune, and ideate on how we can become stronger collectively to best serve Black women. We planned and partied and did some service too, packing personal care bags for a local shelter.
Most importantly, we walked away charged, committed, and ready to get to work.
You can be part of this movement, too. Support the work by making a donation on our website. Stay connected through our programs and initiatives. Sign up for our newsletter so you never miss an update.
Link in our bio.
Today’s the dayyyyy 👏🏾 and it is NOT too late to tap in!
Go ahead and text your accountability partner! Your mama, your cousin, your gym bestie and tell her, “Sis, we’re doing this.” And if you don’t have one? Don’t worry. We got you. Period. 💜
We built this for us.
Your health journey should feel supported, empowering, and rooted in real community, not lonely, confusing, or overwhelming.
BWHI’s Lifestyle Management Support Program is culturally tailored for Black women who are ready to make healthy changes that actually stick. You’ll be matched with a trained Lifestyle Coach and surrounded by women who truly get it. Because thriving hits different when you’re not doing it alone.
✨ Pro tip: Everything is better with your people. Sign up together and join us tonight for a quick info session. When Black women move together, we win together.
Click the link in our bio and let’s get started.
#BWHI #DiabetesSupport #BlackWomenHealth #ThrivingNotSurviving
Dr. Gaston helped shape the future of public health for Black families. She led national sickle cell disease policy, expanded maternal and child health protections at the federal level, and pushed the country to recognize that health outcomes are shaped by systems, not individual willpower alone.
Her work reminds us of a core truth:
Healthy families require policy investment, not individual sacrifice.
This legacy lives on through BWHI Policy Pillar II: Healthy Families & Children First, which centers policies that protect mothers, support children, and strengthen families through access, prevention, and equity.
This is Black history.
This is health policy.
And this is the blueprint for healthier futures.
Want to learn more or get involved?
Explore BWHI’s health policy pillars and find ways to engage, bwhi.org/policy-research
#BlackHistoryMonth #BHM #HealthPolicy #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative #BWHI
Thank you @dreberesonoiki for these tips!!!
RP: This won’t magically fix a broken system.
But it will help you communicate your pain more clearly in a system that often minimizes it.
Specific pain language helps providers make better-informed decisions about your care.
Advocacy is not optional for us-it’s necessary.
• SHARE this with someone who’s been dismissed
• SAVE this for your next doctor visit
#painmanagment #painexplained #womeninhealthcare #blackdoctors #blackhealthmatters
We’re honored to be awarded as part of AstraZeneca’s ACT on #HealthEquity for Protecting Black Women’s Hearts Across Generations, a national BWHI initiative advancing culturally grounded heart health education to improve awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of heart valve disease among Black women.
#ACTonHealthEquity #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
Heart Health Month isn’t just about cholesterol numbers and blood pressure checks. It’s also about what happens during menopause.
In our latest blog, we sit down with @drjaynemorgan , cardiologist and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Hello Heart, to unpack a conversation that Black women deserve to have: the connection between menopause and cardiovascular disease.
Read the full conversation on our blog and learn what you need to know about how our health intersects on many levels.
Link in our bio.
Before hospitals would serve us, Granny Midwives did.
They safely delivered babies when Black women were barred from medical institutions. Through trusted, community-based care, they reduced maternal and infant mortality long before the data caught up. And then, despite the evidence of their success, they were criminalized by policy, not science.
Their legacy tells the truth:
Community-based maternal care works.
This history lives within BWHI Policy Pillar II: Healthy Families & Children First, which centers care models that keep families whole, mothers safe, and communities strong. Our policy work continues this legacy by advocating for protections and investments in community-rooted maternal care.
This isn’t nostalgia.
It’s a blueprint.
Want to learn more or get involved?
Explore BWHI’s health policy pillars and find ways to engage, link in our bio.
#BlackHistoryMonth #BHM #HealthPolicy #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative #BWHI
We created this just for us, sis. Your health journey should always feel supported, empowering, and rooted in community. 💪🏾
BWHI’s Lifestyle Management Support Program is culturally tailored for Black women who want to make healthy changes. We’re here to give you the tools, tips, and real support you need to thrive, not just survive. You’ll be paired with a trained Lifestyle Coach and connect with a group of women who truly get it. This should never be a solo journey. 💜
✨ Bonus: It’s always better with your people! Grab your mama, cousin, or bestie, sign up together, and join us Feb 12th for a quick info session! When Black women support each other, we win!
Click the 🔗 in our bio.
#BWHI #DiabetesSupport #BlackWomenHealth #ThrivingNotSurviving
In 1980, Byllye Avery took her first trip to New York City with a bold purpose: to raise money for a vision rooted in survival, self-determination, and healing, the Black Women’s Health Project.
That vision would grow into what we now know as the Black Women’s Health Imperative.
More than 40 years later, BWHI continues the work Byllye set in motion: centering Black women’s lived experiences, building community-powered health knowledge, and demanding systems that protect our bodies, lives, and futures.
This is what legacy looks like.
This is what Black women pioneers do.
We honor Byllye Avery for walking in the footsteps of so many trailblazing Black women and for blazing a path that generations continue to walk with purpose, power, and possibility.
#BlackHistoryMonth #BHM #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
Here’s what women need to know about the SAVE Act and why it matters now.
If Congress passes the SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) Act, voting could become harder for many women, not because of fraud, but because of life.
Nearly 90% of women change their last name after marriage, compared to about 5% of men. Under stricter proof-of-citizenship and documentation rules, that common life event could trigger registration mismatches that delay or block access to the ballot. Women who live in rural areas, lack original documents, or have changed their names more than once due to marriage or divorce would be hit hardest.
Cost is another barrier. One suggested workaround is obtaining a passport, but more than half of the people in the U.S. don’t have one. The process is time-consuming, document-heavy, and expensive. For many women, especially those managing households, caregiving, or tight budgets, that’s not a small ask. It’s a real obstacle.
This isn’t about election security in theory.
It’s about access in practice.
When voting becomes harder for women, representation suffers. And at a moment when women’s voices are critical to shaping policy that affects our health, families, and futures, barriers like these matter.
We’re watching closely because protecting democracy means protecting women’s ability to participate in it.
#BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
We’re proud to uplift and share this powerful new resource from our Friends at @BlackMamasMatter Alliance.
Their Infertility Fact Sheet: Black Maternal Health Statistical Insights breaks down how barriers to access, education, and referral pathways shape infertility care and outcomes for Black women and birthing people. Grounded in data and a reproductive justice framework, this resource names what too often goes unspoken and offers clear insights and recommendations to support advocacy, policy change, and community education.
Infertility is a Black maternal health issue.
And addressing it requires systems that inform, refer, and care equitably.
We’re grateful to BMMA for continuing to lead with data, justice, and care. Be sure to check out and share this fact sheet to help move the conversation and the work forward.
https://blackmamasmatter.org/ (Link in our Bio)
#BlackMamasMatter #BMMA #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
We are still loving and honoring the brilliance, resilience, sacrifice, and joy behind Every Black woman physician. 💜💜
“Less than 3% of physicians in the U.S. are Black women yet our impact is immeasurable.”
@lifebytosin @dr.evab @nicolealiciamd @fearlesslyoma @drkristamarie
🙌🏾💜😍 Fun fact. A few years ago, Coco Jones made a $100,000 donation to support our work through Walmart during the BET Awards. Watching her shine on the big stage tonight reminds us how powerful it is when artists use their platform to pour back into our communities. We are still grateful for her generosity and continued support of Black women’s health.
#cocojones #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
We are worthy of gentle care.
Care that listens without rushing.
Care that believes us the first time.
Care that understands our history, our bodies, and our lived experiences.
We deserve gentleness in our healing, especially from Black physicians who see us fully and care for us with intention, respect, and compassion. Gentle care isn’t weakness. It’s what allows trust, honesty, and real healing to happen.
Today, let this be your reminder: you are worthy of care that feels safe, affirming, and human. Always.
Today, we say thank you to the Black physicians who care for us with skill, compassion, and an understanding that goes beyond charts and checklists.
Thank you for listening when others dismiss.
For advocating when systems fail.
For seeing our humanity, our history, and our lived experiences.
Your presence saves lives.
Your care builds trust.
And your work makes our communities healthier and stronger every day.
We see you. We appreciate you. And we are deeply grateful for all that you do. 🖤
Tag your Favorite Black woman physician so we can shout her out in our stories!
#BlackDoctorsMatter #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
We couldn’t let the day end without sending birthday love to our friends Essence Atkins @essence_says and Free Marie @missfreemarie 💜💜
Two beautiful women who consistently show up with BWHI to advocate for Black women’s health using their voices, platforms, and hearts to push conversations forward and create real impact.
Happy Birthday to queens who remind us that advocacy and joy can coexist. We’re grateful to walk alongside you in this work and celebrate you today and always.
On Black HIV/AIDS Day, we’re rethinking the narrative thanks to @thenpthatcares
Black women have long been labeled “at risk,” but fear-based messaging hasn’t kept us safer. What does work is prevention rooted in joy, agency, and dignity. Care that sees Black women as whole humans, not statistics.
With tools like long-acting injectable PrEP, prevention can support autonomy without stigma or disruption. Ending the HIV epidemic means valuing Black women’s health and our right to pleasure and choice.
Because the H in HIV stands for human and prevention should honor that.
Read the full article, 🔗 in our bio