ICYMI: This week, the U.S. Department of Education withdrew its anti-DEI directive following a federal court ruling.
Here’s why that matters.
The now-dropped guidance had raised concerns about limiting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in schools and training programs. For education and healthcare professionals, DEI is not a buzzword, it shapes who gets recruited, who gets retained, what gets taught, and how care is delivered.
In education, it affects culturally responsive curriculum, student support systems, and pathways into professional fields like medicine and public health.
In healthcare, it influences provider training, bias mitigation, research priorities, and patient outcomes.
Thank you @cjnlegalnurse for always keeping our community informed!
Community care isn’t just a feeling, it’s action.
It shows up through education that informs.
Advocacy that protects.
And safe spaces that allow Black women to be honest about what we’re carrying.
At BWHI, community care is intentional. It’s structured. It’s sustained.
Want to get involved with BWHI? 👉🏾 bwhi.org/take-action (link in our bio)
Septima Clark understood something powerful: education is liberation.
She built citizenship schools that empowered Black communities to read, vote, organize, and advocate for themselves politically and economically. Her work wasn’t just about literacy, it was about dignity, participation, and power.
She knew that education is a tool for health, governance, and self-determination.
Her legacy aligns deeply with BWHI Pillar III: Equitable Governance & Relationships, which affirms that equity requires participation, not permission. Systems work best when the people most impacted are informed, engaged, and at the decision-making table.
Septima Clark didn’t wait to be invited into power. She prepared communities to claim it.
And we continue that work, ensuring Black women are not just subjects of policy, but shapers of it.
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
For the first time in history, five Black surgical residents are leading the trauma center at Johns Hopkins Hospital! We are witnessing what legacy looks like in real time.
Drs. Valentine S. Alia, Lawrence B. Brown, Ivy Mannoh, Zachary Obinna Enumah, and Ifeoluwa “Ife” Shoyombo are now leading the hospital’s Trauma & Acute Care Surgery center, marking the first time an all-Black team of senior residents has taken the reins.
Black individuals make up 13% of the U.S. population, yet only 6% of general surgeons nationwide. Representation in surgical leadership is not just symbolic; it impacts mentorship, patient trust, access, and the future of medicine itself.
We often say we are our ancestors’ wildest dreams.
This is that truth, embodied.
#BHM #BlackHistory #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
We are deeply honored to share that the Rare Disease Diversity Coalition has received the 2025 RareVoice Award for DEIA Empowerment from the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases.
This recognition reflects the heart of our work. We advocate for a rare disease ecosystem where equity, inclusion, and representation are not optional, but essential. Being recognized alongside so many powerful advocates reminds us that real progress happens when the voices and lived experiences of diverse communities are centered within critical conversations.
Thank you to the rare disease community for trusting us to stand with you. We look forward to continuing this work together.
@RarediseaseDiversityCoalition #RDDC #BWHI #TheImperative
Dr. Mamie Phillips Clark’s groundbreaking research directly influenced Brown v. Board of Education, helping the Supreme Court recognize the psychological harm segregation inflicted on Black children. Long before the term “health equity” existed, she centered the mental and emotional toll of racism and demanded that it be taken seriously.
Her work teaches us a powerful lesson:
When policy ignores lived experience, it causes harm.
That truth sits at the heart of BWHI Pillar III: Equitable Governance & Relationships, the belief that systems must be shaped by the communities they serve. Governance should protect dignity, promote justice, and reflect real lives, not abstract theory.
Dr. Clark didn’t just conduct research. She shifted policy by elevating truth.
And we continue that legacy by ensuring Black women’s voices, data, and lived realities inform the decisions that impact our health and 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
We pause to honor the life and legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr, a towering figure in the fight for civil rights, economic justice, and political inclusion.
For decades, Rev. Jackson stood at the forefront of movements demanding that Black communities be seen, heard, and valued. Through the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, he championed voter access, corporate accountability, labor rights, and expanded opportunity for Black Americans.
For Black women, his work intersected with broader fights for equity, in healthcare, employment, education, and political representation. He consistently pushed institutions to recognize that justice must include those historically marginalized and underestimated.
His legacy is rooted in advocacy, coalition building, and the belief that collective action can reshape systems. 💜
In 1957, Dorothy Counts-Scoggins walked into Harding High School as the first African American student in Charlotte’s reluctant step toward desegregation at just 15 years old.
For four days, she endured relentless harassment that threatened her safety. The images of her being screamed at by white classmates traveled around the world. What the cameras couldn’t capture was the toll that kind of hatred takes on a young body.
Racism is not just a social issue. It is a biological one.
The concept of weathering tells us that chronic exposure to racism and discrimination accelerates stress on the body, contributing to hypertension, heart disease, pregnancy complications, and shortened life expectancy. The body absorbs what the world inflicts.
Dorothy’s courage changed history.
But courage should never have required trauma.
As we reflect on her story, we honor not just her bravery, but the truth that protecting Black bodies means dismantling the systems that harm them.
Because no child’s health should be the cost of progress.
RP: @myjessstory 🙌🏾
#BlackHistoryMonth #BHM #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
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