We are honored to present Luminaries of Health.
The Black Women’s Health Imperative will convene three MacArthur “Genius” Fellows Byllye Y. Avery, Dorothy Roberts, and Loretta Ross for a rare and powerful public conversation on the past, present, and future of reproductive justice in the United States.
Each of these trailblazers has fundamentally reshaped how this country understands health, not as an individual outcome, but as a reflection of policy, power, and structural conditions. Their work has transformed research, organizing, and national dialogue, centering Black women’s lived experiences as essential to advancing justice for all.
Join us as we learn from the women who helped define the field and who continue to shape its future.
Click the link in our bio.
#BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
This is what happens when Black girls are allowed to dream out loud.
At 8 years old, Dr. Tahira Reid Smith @drtahirareidsmith drew the one thing she wished she had: @jumpdreamsinc a double Dutch machine that never stopped moving. As an only child growing up in the Bronx, she dreamed of building something that would keep the ropes turning, so no one ever had to wait to jump in.
“Jumping double Dutch is like being a part of a club. It’s culture. It’s a part of our history. It’s part of our heritage.”
Today, that little girl is a Smithsonian-featured inventor and Penn State engineering professor, and she brought her childhood sketch to life. Her automated double Dutch machine is now a working prototype, operated from an app on her phone.
From a third-grade drawing competition to launching Jump Dreams Inc., she’s turning imagination into innovation, with plans to place these machines in schools, recreation centers, and youth spaces in February 2027.
🔗 in our bio
#BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
Join us tomorrow for a special screening of the award-winning documentary Me Period with The Metro Atlanta Chapter of National Coalition of 100 , Friday, May 8 from 6–8 pm at Atlanta City Hall.
Together, we will engage in intergenerational dialogue to help dismantle stigma and myths surrounding menstrual health, connect with a licensed professional counselor for support, and build community across families, friend groups, and generations. .
Come and be part of the conversation.
Register using the link in our bio.
#MePeriod #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
We love a legacy moment
Triplets. All nurses. @stephenson.triplets
Following in the footsteps of their mother.
That’s not just a career choice, that’s generational service.
From one mother’s example to three daughters carrying the torch, this is what it looks like when caregiving becomes calling and legacy becomes action.
Black nurses have always been the backbone of our communities and seeing that legacy multiply like this? We love to see it.
Happy Nurses Week to the women who heal, advocate, comfort, and carry forward the work with pride
#bwhi #blackwomenshealth #theimperative #nursesweek
Happy National Nurses Week. 💜
We honor the nurses who came before us . The women who cared for our communities when doors were closed to them, who trained in segregated programs, who showed up anyway, and who built trust where systems failed.
In a healthcare system where Black women are too often dismissed or misunderstood, Black nurses bring cultural understanding, advocacy, and compassion that shifts outcomes. They bridge gaps. They ask the extra question. They stay a little longer. They see us.
This week, we celebrate your skill, your leadership, and your care, past, present, and future.
Thank you for showing up for us.
#NursesWeek #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
We’re creating space for honest, judgment-free conversation
Join us for the last Virtual Listening Session on emergency contraception and medication abortion, where your voice, experiences, and perspectives truly matter.
🗓 Session 2: May 6 | 5:30 PM EST (Medication Abortion)
We’ll talk about:
• What we know (and don’t know)
• Real experiences accessing care
• Barriers, myths, and questions
• What support and education should look like
This space is intended for women to be heard and help shape future resources.
🔗 Head to the LINK in our bio
#MSK #MySistersKeeper #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
We’re proud to support DREF Research Matters – 4th Annual National Research Symposium. @dref_researchmatters
This year’s theme, “Representation Matters,” couldn’t be more timely.
The All of Us Research Program is building a diverse database to improve healthcare for everyone, creating opportunities to better understand risk factors, identify effective treatments across communities, and connect people to the right clinical studies.
🗓 Wednesday, June 10
⏰ 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM EST
📍 Virtual (Free)
The symposium will feature keynote speaker Jotaka Eaddy @jotakaeaddy Founder of Win With Black Women, and researcher Tshaka Cunningham, PhD, who will share how he’s leveraging All of Us data to advance innovation.
Register today and be part of the conversation advancing equity in science and medicine.
Link in our bio.
#RepresentationMatters #HealthEquity #ResearchMatters #BWHI
New month. New week. Same goal: stronger, healthier you. 💪🏾
If you’re still working toward your fitness goals, this is your reminder, keep going.
We love these tips from pilarpatrick7
Progress isn’t about perfection. It’s about consistency.
And if you need accountability? We’ve got you. Tap into our CYL2 program, culturally tailored support designed for Black women ready to move with intention and build lasting habits.
🔗 Link in our bio. Let’s do this together.
#CYL2 #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
Black women are taught to endure, push through and keep going.
Being strong does not mean ignoring what hurts. It means honoring what your body is telling you. Listen early, ask questions, schedule the appointment.
Protect your future self.
#WholeHealthNoShrinking #WomensHealthMonth #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #HealthEquity
You’re naming what they were told to endure.
You’re resting where they had to push through.
You’re going to therapy where they had to stay silent.
You’re choosing boundaries where they were taught survival.
Healing is generational. And every time you choose yourself, you shift the future for the women and girls who come after you.
Keep going. 💜
Women’s health is not a niche. It is not optional. And it is not limited to one system in the body.
For Black women, whole health means confronting the full picture, heart disease, maternal mortality, lupus, HIV, hypertension, stress, mental health, and the policies that determine whether we can access care in the first place.
Whole health requires:
💜 Access to affordable coverage
💜 Providers who listen
💜 Preventive screenings without barriers
💜 Paid leave that allows recovery
💜 Culturally competent care
💜 Investment in research and equity
This Women’s Health Month, we are not shrinking the conversation. We are expanding it.
Care for every part of you and demand systems that do the same.
#WomensHealthMonth #HealthEquity #PolicyIsPersonal #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
Congratulations to Tracy Sturdivant as she takes the helm as President and CEO of the @msfoundation for Women, one of the nation’s oldest and most influential feminist funders.
What makes this moment even more powerful is that she follows another Black woman leader, Teresa C. Younger. That kind of transition is rare in philanthropy.
For decades, the Ms. Foundation has invested in the voices and solutions of women and girls, especially those too often overlooked. They have helped shape movements, fund innovation, and push culture forward.
At a time when equity work is being challenged and resources are shifting, the Ms. Foundation continues to prioritize women and girls of color, making it clear that their commitment is not a trend, but a mandate.
Organizations like this remind us that progress doesn’t happen by accident. It happens because someone is willing to fund it, protect it, and grow it.
🔗 In our bio
#BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
New breast cancer screening guidelines have been released by the American College of Physicians and we know that headlines alone don’t tell the whole story.
We checked in with @dr.aprilspencer to help break down what these updates really mean and help translate policy into practical understanding so women can make informed decisions in partnership with their providers.
Screening recommendations matter. They influence when women are encouraged to begin testing, how often they’re screened, and how providers approach care. For Black women, who are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages and experience higher mortality rates, clarity, context, and culturally competent guidance are critical.
As always, talk with your doctor about what screening plan is right for you. 💜
#BreastHealth #HealthEquity #BWHI #TheImperative
We’re convening leaders where strategy meets action.
On June 1 in Brunswick, New Jersey, BWHI will host a private, in-person strategy convening bringing together healthcare executives and providers, policymakers, funders, corporate leaders, and community-based organization leaders for a high-impact working brunch.
This is more than a conversation. It’s a facilitated strategy session designed to move ideas into alignment and alignment into action, with a shared focus on advancing health equity for Black women and families.
If you’re ready to build solutions at the intersection of policy, practice, and power, request your spot.
🔗 in our bio
#BWHI #HealthEquity #LeadershipInAction #TheImperative
This moment calls for awareness and engagement. The erosion of long-standing protections under the Voting Rights Act has real implications for how communities are represented and heard.
As changes unfold across states, it’s critical to pay attention to local decisions that shape political power. And as we move toward the 2026 midterm elections, our collective participation will help determine who is committed to protecting the right to vote and ensuring every community is represented.
On #AMKDAwarenessDay, we’re proud to stand with the American Kidney Fund to raise awareness about APOL1-mediated kidney disease, a genetic condition that disproportionately impacts Black communities.
If your family roots trace back to West or Central Africa, this is information you deserve to have.
Knowing your risk is not about fear. It’s about power. It’s about protecting your future and showing up for the people who count on you.
Get informed. Start the conversation. Share what you learn.
Learn more: link in our bio
Give yourself a moment that’s just yours. 🖤
Health isn’t only physical, it’s how we protect our peace, care for our minds, and ground ourselves in the middle of everything we carry.
That’s why BWHI partnered with BlackFULLness @theblackfullness , a wellness app designed to support the whole you. Right now, you have access to curated practices that help you slow down, reset, and breathe a little deeper.
Visit your app store or click the link in our bio.
Download the Blackfullness app and create your account. Use code BWHI for 6 months free.
Pause. Reset. Pour back into you.
#Blackfullness #BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
We are honored to present Luminaries of Health.
The Black Women’s Health Imperative will convene three MacArthur “Genius” Fellows Byllye Y. Avery, Dorothy Roberts, and Loretta Ross for a rare and powerful public conversation on the past, present, and future of reproductive justice in the United States.
Each of these trailblazers has fundamentally reshaped how this country understands health, not as an individual outcome, but as a reflection of policy, power, and structural conditions. Their work has transformed research, organizing, and national dialogue, centering Black women’s lived experiences as essential to advancing justice for all.
Join us as we learn from the women who helped define the field and who continue to shape its future.
Click the link in our bio.
#BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
Black women have been conditioned to shrink, soften the truth, dim brilliance, make ourselves smaller so others can feel comfortable.
No more.
Take up space in policy rooms, healthcare spaces, boardrooms, classrooms, and even your own living rooms.
Your voice is not disruptive, threatening or excessive. You are not “too much.”
You are the standard.
And this world adjusts accordingly.💜
#BWHI #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
What if pregnancy wasn’t treated as a moment, but as a part of lifelong heart health? In our latest blog, we discuss two major national reports on maternal cardiovascular risk and what they reveal about the gaps still putting women at risk. We also caught up with Dr. Rachel Bond @drrachelmbond for a powerful conversation on why the system is falling short and what it will take to change it.
This is a must-read for anyone who cares about maternal health and the future of care.
🔗 in our bio
#BWHI #BlackMaternalHealth #HeartHealth #BlackWomensHealth #TheImperative
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