Black Women and Public Health

Strategies to Name, Locate, and Change Systems of Power

Edited by Stephanie Y. Evans, Sarita K. Davis, Leslie R. Hinkson, and Deanna J. Wathington

Subjects: African American Studies, Women's Studies, Gender Studies, Health And Society, Social Change
Series: SUNY series in Black Women's Wellness
Hardcover : 9781438487311, 336 pages, March 2022
Paperback : 9781438487328, 336 pages, September 2022

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Table of contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Race, Gender, and Public Health: Social Justice and Wellness Work
Stephanie Y. Evans, Sarita K. Davis, Leslie R. Hinkson, and Deanna J. Wathington

Part I: Name Inequity

1. Reversing the Dehumanization of Black Women
Tiffany D. Thomas and Mandy Hill

2. An Overview of the Past, Present, and Future of Black Women in Health Policy
Rebekah Israel Cross, Brittney Butler, and Mya L. Roberson

3. The Maternal Mortality Crisis in the Black Community
Jovonni R. Spinner, Sheila Carrette, and Joylene John-Sowah

4. Promoting Self-Care and Awareness of Stress, the Strong Black Woman Schema, and Mental Health among African American Women
Dakota King-White, Kelly Yu-Hsin Liao, and Elice E. Rogers

Part II: Locate Disparity

5. The Black Women's Health Study: Working Together to Improve the Health of Black Women
Traci N. Bethea and Yvette C. Cozier

6. The Swelling Wave of Oppression: An Intersectional Study to Evaluate Health Challenges of Self-Identified Black Queer Women in the American South
Jayme Canty

7. Rural Black Maternal Health in the Age of Digital Deserts
Alisa Valentin and Christy M. Gamble

8. Pouring from a Leaking Cup: Informal Family Caregivers in the Black Community
Esther Piervil

Part III: Act for Change

9. Black Women and Public Health in the UK
Jenny Douglas

10. Enhancing Clinical Practice to Include Biomedical HIV Prevention for Black Women
Mandy Hill, Ndidiamaka N. Amutah-Onukagha, Charlene A. Flash, Kelli Joiner, Folake Olayinka, and Bisola Ojikutu

11. Am I My Sister's Mentor? Why Mentoring Underrepresented Minority Medical and Public Health Faculty Can Improve the Health of Black Women
Andrea Anderson, Judy Washington, and Joedrecka S. Brown Speights

12. Stress and Black Women's Health: Origins, Coping Strategies, and Implications for Policy and Practice
Portia A. Jackson Preston, Leslie Bronner, and Yvonne Bronner

13. Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda's Yogic Journey: Creativity, Community, and Caretaking
Tamara Y. Jeffries, Santiba D. Campbell, and Yasmeen J. Long

14. When Black Scholars Embrace Ourselves in Our Research, We Reclaim Our Power
Sarita K. Davis

Afterword
Jasmine Ward

Contributors
Artist Statement
Index

Moves Black women's voices and experiences from the margins to the center of conversations about public health.

Description

2022 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title

Black Women and Public Health creates an urgently needed interdisciplinary dialogue about issues of race, gender, and health. An enduring history of racism, sexism, and dehumanization of Black women's bodies has largely rendered the health needs of the Black community inaudible and invisible. Grounded in the lived experiences and expertise of Black women, this collection bridges gaps between researchers, practitioners, educators, and advocates. Black women's public health work is a regenerative practice—one that looks backward, inward, and forward to improve the quality of life for Black communities in the United States and beyond. The three dozen authors in this volume offer analysis, critique, and recommendations for overcoming longstanding and contemporary challenges to equity in public health practices.

Stephanie Y. Evans is Professor and Director of the Institute for Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Affiliate Faculty of the Department of African American Studies at Georgia State University. Sarita K. Davis is Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Georgia State University. Leslie R. Hinkson is Chief Officer for Racial Justice and Equity, The League of Conservation Voters. Deanna J. Wathington MD, MPH, FAAFP is Affiliate Professor in the College of Public Health and the College of Arts and Science at the University of South Florida.

Reviews

"This expert volume fills an urgent need for in-depth examinations of race, gender and health." — Ms. Magazine

"In addition to outlining the array of challenges Black women face, the book also reveals the many ways Black women have impacted and influenced the development of public health through employment and activism and offers suggestions for improving both public health and the experiences of Black women … Highly recommended." — CHOICE

"This exceptional volume interweaves contributions from leading scholar-activists dedicated to social justice for—and the physical and mental wellness of—American Black girls and women. Well-researched and richly contextual, it provides a space and a place to 'hear' from Black women themselves about how race, gender, and class negatively impact their health. This book provides innovative strategies for change and offers a robust rationale for implementing a community-centered, culturally congruent, and gender-sensitive public health approach." — Kisha B. Holden, coeditor of Social Determinants of Health Among African-American Men