LI Course
CE Hours: 6 contact hours

Statement of Purpose and Institute Overview: The purpose of this institute is to educate public health professionals on how to apply black feminist theory as a gender specific approach to enhance public health interventions for women and girls of color. Participants interested in critical public health perspectives, and seek to learn more practical tools for addressing complex social and health threats in the lives of women and girls of color should attend this institute. This institute will be the first of its kind to educate public health professionals on how to integrate black feminist theoretical perspectives as a way to improve upon existing or develop new public health interventions for women and girls of color. Black feminism will be discussed in theory and practice 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 core themes of black feminism that will be presented as effective in public health include: (1) self-definition and self-value; (2) race, class, and gender; (3) unique experiences; (4) controlling images; and (5) structure and agency. In addition, course participants will examine how black feminism is compatible with existing mainstream public health paradigms, including behavioral change theory, social psychological perspectives, constant comparative analysis methods, and the health belief model. As a way to demonstrate the effectiveness and relevance of black feminist theory in public health, the facilitator will provide case studies of two Office on Women’s Health-funded risk reduction programs known as GEMS (Girls Empowered and Motivated to Succeed) and RISE (Reaching and Intervening with Survivors Effectively). The GEMS program is an HIV prevention education program for adolescent girls of color. The RISE program (Reaching and Intervening with Survivors Effectively) used black feminist theory to develop an HIV prevention program for women experiencing domestic violence, substance abuse, and homelessness. The RISE and GEMS program will be used to share best practices based on black feminist theory, including comprehensive curricula, facilitators’ guides, pre-and post-assessments, technical and operating manuals, process and outcome evaluations, and program capacity and infrastructure development guidance. In addition, this institute will highlight how black feminism incorporates storytelling and the performing arts as authentic knowledge generating strategies to assess and address social and health threats for women and girls of color.

Session Objectives: 1) Demonstrate the relevance of black feminist theory in public health interventions for women and girls of color 2) Define and deconstruct black feminist theory as a relevant and practical gender specific strategy in public health 3) Compare black feminist theory to mainstream public health theories and approaches targeting women of color

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)