In the United States, Black women’s bodies have been commodified, controlled, and surveilled for the benefit of others denying them sexual citizenship or control of one’s sex life. The denial of sexual citizenship impacts reproductive choices, approach to pleasure, and experiences of sexual objectification. Black feminist, womanist, and
When Megan Thee Stallion coined the term “Hot Girl Summer” in 2019, we had no idea what was coming. Since that summer of hot girl shenanigans, we’ve experienced a global pandemic, repeated killings of Black men by police, threats to our reproductive rights, and multiple
As one of over 25,000 African Americans living with HIV in Atlanta and as the Georgia State Lead for Positive Women’s Network – USA, a national advocacy organization of women living with HIV, I was alarmed to hear the spokesperson for the Fulton County Sheriff’s
Growing up in Chicago in the ’80s and ’90s, I went to school just down the street from Kenwood High School, where award-winning singer, songwriter, and producer R. Kelly notoriously preyed on young black girls. We all knew it was happening. When I was 17, at a
When Issa Rae stated, in an interview at the 2017 Oscars, “I’m rooting for everybody black,” I knew immediately, that was my new life motto. I am unapologetically black, and no matter what space I am in, I am rooting for everybody black. I think
As a woman, I lived through and survived intimate partner violence. I remember the day we met. He was so charming and sweet. After moving in with him, he was the perfect mate. Within six months, he started beating me every day. He sat in
In recent years there has been a lot of discussion around the health disparities in maternal mortality. The CDC reports that black women are two to three times more likely to die of pregnancy related causes than white women. There are several issues we need
Today is Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. And so often the awareness of how HIV/AIDS impacts Black women falls between the cracks, but it is so real. Did you know that the CDC estimates that 230,000 women in the US have been diagnosed with HIV? Or that Black women have
Today is December 1, the annual observance of World AIDS Day. Every year, on this day, we are surrounded by messages from organizations and individuals, asking us to remember those we have lost, encouraging us to stay strong as we continue to move through this
World AIDS Day makes me thankful for the achievements made to subdue the epidemic since it reared its ugly head in the 1980s. I was working for New York City’s Health and Hospital Corporation then. I was responsible for figuring out how many beds we