12/05 2010
Respect! Final Report
Black Women for Wellness has a 10-year history of convening conferences workshops and symposiums that report on the health status of Black women in our community. Our symposium, Respect, Inclusion with Integrity for African American women in multicultural health care practices was held October 29 2009 at the California Science Center keeping steady our process and progress with impacting our mission enhancing the health and well being of Black women.
Our Sisters in Control Reproductive Justice program works toward creating solutions with eliminating reproductive health disparity for African American and Black women and girls, by sharing data including those reflecting the social determinants of health, research and an holistic analysis of the data. Our approach includes the story from women and girls who are seeking reproductive health and who comprise the numbers we so often read with minimum thought to the people’s lives who live those numbers.
With support and direction from a cadre of collaborating partners, board and membership of Black Women for Wellness, staff and volunteers approximately 186 community members, advocates, grassroots leadership, health care professionals, policy makers and elected officials participated with Respect. This audience represented more than 53 community based organizations, clinics, health insurance corporations and government agencies women providing care and services to African American and Black women /girls.
BWW modeling integrating physical activity began the day with Tai Chi active participation, as well having two additional physical activity breaks during the day (stepping to Frankie Beverly and hula hoops). Our food was healthy, delicious and attractive however we did include a bit of sugar in the afternoon. BWW began with an opening ritual establishing a tone and environment building on the cultural strengths of Africans including the Black women as well African Americans in attendance. Our presenters included culture through spoken word throughout the day as well call and response with the audience acknowledging the culture of learning and participation many Black community members have ingrained through history and experience.
Keynote speakers addressed our primary objectives with an opening morning plenary. Gail Wyatt PhD (University of California – Los Angeles) and Professor Vernellia Randall (University of Ohio – Dayton) addressing objective: To build a historical and contemporary understanding of Black women’s health experience in the US. Research
Thema Bryant Davis PhD (Pepperdine University) and Loretta Ross of SisterSong Collective shared principles of integrity and respect that facilitates inclusion of all women and girls of color, guiding policies for building relationship and collaboration among communities of color who are sharing neighborhoods, resources and health disparity with addressing our second objective. Mental health
Break out sessions with local experts as facilitators and advocates as moderators were able to listen to and facilitate the story of women and girls attending achieving objective: Provide an opportunity and dedicated space that will facilitate dialogue between African American, Black and other organizations led by or providing service to people of women particularly women to strategize and outline best practices with coalition building and collaboration
Report back from each breakout session lay foundation toward our objective: To create a joint statement detailing a definition of cultural competency,
Currently our planning team is continuously meeting and sustaining objective: Plan of action that sustains relationship among women and girls, communities of color in South Los Angeles seeking health care through a human rights lens; to attend the next meeting and get involved contact Black Women for Wellness at our office 323 290 5955
African Americans in California represent the 2nd largest population of African Americans in the United States, with Los Angeles having the 2nd largest population of urban African American people following New York, this offers an opportunity for trend setting in the nation with building coalition among people of color, impacting health disparity and offering best practices for inclusion of women and girls of color with policy, education, campaigns and health care delivery that is effective with reducing and eliminating reproductive health disparity.
In many collaborations unless, explicitly stated, Black or African American perspectives can be excluded from agendas. In order to shed light on this issue Black Women for Wellness will bring together prominent scholars and activists who speak and research on the specificity of Black women’s health history and experiences in the United States. This symposium will facilitate discussion on the unique ways that other races and ethnicities can learn from Black struggles in the US in order to build substantial relationships among health care providers, reproductive justice allies and social justice advocates.
Black Women for Wellness will be posting clips from the conference on our YouTube channel Black Women 4 Wellness Los Angeles…
Next Steps include: culling together information, presentations, dialog and research shared at the symposium into a reproductive health status report with policy recommendations scheduled for release Sept 2010. BWW will be hosting a series of conference calls and meetings to capture data and stories of the women and community members, health care professionals and providers attending Respect. Your continued participation is welcomed and encouraged! In addition we are producing a multi media symposium report, with footage and photos from Respect for distribution, sharing with folks not attending yet requesting the information. We expect to conduct a series of webinars and host a policy briefing in the early autumn.
Stay tuned and Stay engaged!
Download RESPECT! 2009 Fact Sheet
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