Our net-WORK begins with celebration of Black women, our existence, and humanity!
Our collective work is fueled by our resolve to achieve outcomes of health, justice, safety, healing, liberation, abundance, and futures! We believe in Black women, our right to take up space, and our ability to lead movements that dismantle barriers to optimal health and equity. We are reclaiming and redistributing power in Public Health for the public’s health. We are committed to learning and interrogating biases and stigmatizing processes, actions, and language of others as well as our own. We seek to eliminate barriers to inclusion and opportunities to shape affirming experiences within our programming, policies, and priorities by always assessing how and who –is and is not– involved and impacted by our service. We unapologetically represent, acknowledge, and affirm the unique intersecting identities and dimensions of diversity (biological, social, educational, professional, organizational etc.) of Black women within our community! We represent a myriad academic backgrounds, professional roles, and industries within or adjacent to public health (doulas, community health workers, advocates, psychologists, educators, etc.).
In fact, there is no educational prerequisite to engage and/or lead within BLIPH. Citizen scientists, story-tellers, and advocates are critical to our impact. Our practices and programming engenders a transformative culture grounded in the diversity of people, education, and the experiences of those within our network and needed in our communities!