Fundamentals of Black Feminism and how they are applicable in Public Health

This learning institute will be the first of its kind to dedicate a full day to the relevance of the theory and practice of black feminism in public health as a gender specific approach to address gaps in serving women of color at greater risk for select social and health threats, including - but not limited to – HIV/STDs, adolescent pregnancy, domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health disorders, and homelessness. The institute will include diverse ways of generating knowledge about marginalized women as it relates to defining health problems and sub-populations, developing and implementing relevant programs, and integrating the arts as a way to educate public health professionals on black feminism as a gender specific approach to interventions.

The session will include an examination of the history of black feminism as a theoretical and activist response to the political economy's exploitation and discrimination of marginalized women. The instructor will make the case that such exploitation and discrimination resulted in these women being at greater risk for health-related problems in our society. In addition, the instructor will identify leading black feminist and their core critical perspectives, as well as guide the thinking on how these black feminist thinkers are relevant in critical public health in particular. Finally, the instructor will focus on core themes in black feminism and their implications for public health as follows:

Self –definition and Self-valuation - Incorporate opportunities for clients to co-create behavioral change goals based on broader definitions of self and values ones self-worth beyond the ‘sexual self”.

Controlling Images - Deconstruct objectified stigmatizing images of hyper-sexual high risk woman and replace with authentic images that build upon perceptions of strength as opposed to focusing solely on risk reduction models of change.

Unique Experiences - Acknowledge that some social and health issues require quality one-on-one time and are not easily addressed in group settings, particularly issues associated with sexual, physical, and emotional abuse.

Race, Class, and Gender - Views race, class, and gender as “equally oppressive in examining the impact of health issues in the lives of women of color.

Structure and Agency - Interventions must happen at multiple levels (individual, social, organizational, and structural) to maximize opportunities to address social inequities and individual health changes.