Black Women Research Articles

Review: A Brick and a Bible: Black Women’s Radical Activism in the Midwest during the Great Depression, by Melissa Ford

Review: <i>A Brick and a Bible: Black Women’s Radical Activism in the Midwest during the Great Depression</i>, by Melissa Ford

Mirror Mentoring: Black Women’s Experiences Serving as Mentors for Black Girls During a Virtual Computer Science Camp

Several studies have reported the positive benefits of informal Computer Science learning programs for Black girls, which include staff, mentors, and peers reflective of the girls in the program; however, we do not know enough about what motivates Black women to sign up to teach in such programs, or how representation in mentoring affects future CS learning for Black girls. Here we report the intersectional experiences of 11 Black women who served as instructors and mentors for the virtual INTech Summer Camp. The women in this study confirm that it is imperative to consider the intersectional experiences of Black women in CS as a whole, without explicating their identities. We found that Black women in CS feel that it is their responsibility to give back to Black girls to pay it forward from their own mentorship experiences. The Black women in our study describe seeking to fill a gap in mentorship that they experienced themselves, to share their knowledge and experiences to support the development of others who can relate to that intersection of identifying as Black and a girl or woman. Providing positive representation to encourage young Black girls to pursue tech careers is imperative to diversifying the tech workforce.

Racial/ethnic differences in 21-gene recurrence score and survival among patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer

BackgroundDespite numerous studies on racial/ethnic disparities among patients with breast cancer, there is a paucity of literature evaluating racial/ethnic differences in 21-gene recurrence score (RS) and survival differences stratified by RS risk categories. We thus performed an observational cohort study to examine racial/ethnic disparities in the context of RS.MethodsThe National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried for female patients diagnosed between 2006 and 2018 with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, pT1-3N0-1aM0 breast cancer who received surgery followed by adjuvant endocrine therapy and had RS data available. Logistic multivariable analysis (MVA) was built to evaluate variables associated with RS ≥ 26. Cox MVA was used to evaluate OS. Subgroup analyses were performed to compare the magnitude of racial/ethnic differences stratified by RS. P values less than 0.017 were considered statistically significant based on Bonferroni correction.ResultsA total of 140,133 women were included for analysis. Of these, 115,651 (82.5%), 8,213 (5.9%), 10,814 (7.7%), and 5,455 (3.9%) were NHW, Hispanic, Black, and API women, respectively. Median (IQR) follow up was 66.2 months (48.0–89.8). Logistic MVA showed that, compared with NHW women, Black women were associated with higher RS (≥ 26 vs < 26: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12–1.26, p < 0.001), while HW (aOR 0.93, 95% CI 0.86–1.00, p = 0.04) and API women (aOR 1.03, 95% CI 0.95–1.13, p = 0.45) were not. Cox MVA showed that, compared with NHW women, Black women had worse OS (adjusted hazards ratio [aHR] 1.10, 95% CI 1.02–1.19, p = 0.012), while HW (aHR 0.85, 95% CI 0.77–0.94, p = 0.001) and API (aHR 0.66, 95% CI 0.56–0.77, p < 0.001) women had better OS. In subgroup analysis, similar findings were noted among those with RS < 26, while only API women were associated with improved OS among others with RS ≥ 26.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this is the largest study using nationwide oncology database to suggest that Black women were associated with higher RS, while HW and API women were not. It also suggested that Black women were associated with worse OS among those with RS < 26, while API women were associated with improved OS regardless of RS when compared to NHW women.

Made in Africa: Tapestry and the Topography of Swedish Philanthropy in Southern Africa

ABSTRACT During the 1960s, tapestries from Swedish art and craft centres in southern Africa were acclaimed in the Nordic country as an outcome of its own expertise and largesse. Yet when these works by marginalised women artists in Africa were exhibited at the National Museum in Stockholm in 1970, they were dismissed as the fruits of Swedish cultural imperialism and naive artistic minds. Despite the ensuing public debate, the exhibition and its discourses, like the works themselves, are little known in southern Africa and now largely forgotten in Sweden. In considering the visual vocabularies of some of these tapestries, many of which were woven at the renowned centre at Rorke’s Drift in KwaZulu-Natal, this article addresses the implications of these Swedish ‘culture-rescue’ projects, showing how women’s artistic ‘voices’ on the subcontinent were silenced, not merely by apartheid suppression but also in Swedish representations. By interrogating the attitudes that the audiences of the exhibitions held towards black women artists, the article reveals how the tapestries’ woven iconographies were a complex response to circumstance, covertly interrogating white hegemony while invested with self-definition.

Avoiding Shots in the Dark: Learning from the Past To Inform the Implementation of Long-Acting Injectable Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for Black American Cisgender Women.

The FDA's approval of long-acting injectable cabotegravir pre-exposure prophylaxis (LAI PrEP) as an alternative to daily oral PrEP represents a crucial development in HIV prevention, particularly for American Black cisgender women who face high HIV-1 risks. Yet, uptake may be hindered by racial and gender inequities. Addressing these requires learning from the roll-out of oral PrEP, creating culturally tailored PrEP campaigns, and enhancing provider training to meet Black women's needs. Tools for discussing PrEP within personal relationships and product preference research tailored to Black women's needs are essential for effective LAI PrEP delivery. Deliberative implementation of LAI PrEP must employ strategies that are community-sensitive, -responsive, and -inclusive. It should prioritize the incorporation of Black women's voices in decision-making and should promote community-led strategies. By addressing historical injustices and fostering trust, healthcare systems can enhance LAI PrEP uptake by Black women. Emphasizing a community-centered approach that ensures health equity and acknowledges the crucial role that social media and Black-led organizations play in promoting PrEP awareness and adoption within Black communities is necessary for successful implementation.

“In our community, we normalize pain”: discussions around menstruation and uterine fibroids with Black women and Latinas

BackgroundUterine fibroids are non-cancerous neoplasms that arise from the uterus affecting over 75% of women. However, there is a disparity with Black women having an increased prevalence of nearly 80%. Black women also experience increased symptom burden, including younger age at the time of diagnosis and increased number and volume of fibroids. Less is known about other ethnoracially diverse women such as Latinas and the potential cultural impacts on fibroid burden and treatment.MethodsCommunity engagement studios were conducted to facilitate discussions with stakeholders on their uterine fibroid and menstruation experience. We recruited Black women (n = 6) diagnosed with uterine fibroids and Latinas (n = 7) without uterine fibroids. We held two virtual community engagement studios split by uterine fibroid diagnosis. The studios were not audio recorded and notes were taken by four notetakers. The notes were thematically analyzed in Atlas.ti using content analysis.ResultsParticipants felt there was a lack of discussion around menstruation overall, whether in the home or school settings. This lack of menstruation education was pronounced when participants had their first menstruation experience, with many unaware of what to expect. This silence around menstruation led to a normalization of painful menstruation symptoms. When it came to different treatment options for uterine fibroids, some women wanted to explore alternative treatments but were dismissed by their healthcare providers. Many participants advocated for having discussions with their healthcare provider about life goals to discuss different treatment options for their uterine fibroids.ConclusionDespite uterine fibroid diagnosis, there is silence around menstruation. Menstruation is a normal biological occurrence and needs to be discussed to help prevent delayed diagnosis of uterine fibroids and possibly other gynecological disorders. Along with increased discussions around menstruation, further discussion is needed between healthcare providers and uterine fibroid patients to explore appropriate treatment options.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination by Gender and Age in a Sample of Black Adults in Chicago.

Although vaccine behaviors differ greatly by gender and age, few studies have examined vaccination at the intersection of gender and age within the Black community. We examined COVID-19 vaccination by gender and age using a survey of over 500 Black adults in Chicago, Illinois, fielded from September 2021 to March 2022. Although 54% had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine, the proportion vaccinated was considerably lower for Black men (28%) and women (37%) under 40 years old than Black men (92%) and women (86%) over 40 years (p < .001). Concern about vaccine side effects was the most reported barrier for unvaccinated women (56%) and men (38%) under 40 years. Our results suggest that targeted efforts to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake in the Black community in Chicago after the initial rollout should have focused on young adults, particularly young Black men, with emphasis on addressing concern about vaccine side effects.

Inequalities in sexual and reproductive outcomes among women aged 16–24 in England (2012–2019)

BackgroundWomen aged 16–24 in England have a high burden of sexual and reproductive morbidity, with particularly poor outcomes among people living in more deprived areas (including racially minoritised populations). This...

Police Harassment and Psychiatric, Sexual, and Substance Use Risk Among Black Sexual Minority Men and BlackTransgender Womenin the HIV Prevention Trials 061 Cohort.

Black sexual minority men and Black transgender women (BSMM/BTW) experience disproportionate levels of HIV/STI-related risk factors as well as police harassment (PH). PH is linked to psychiatric risk and could play a role in substance use, sexual risk behavior, and HIV/STI risk. We used data from the HIV Prevention Trials Network 061(HPTN 061) study to examine associations between PH and HIV/STI-related outcomes. Using PH exposure measured at baseline and 6-month study visits, we examined an ordinal exposure (PH reported at both visits, PH reported at either visit, versus PH reported at neither baseline nor 6months) and a binary exposure of persistent PH reported at both visits (yes versus no). We estimate risk ratios (RR) for associations between PH and depression, use of alcohol and methamphetamine, multiple partnerships, condomless sex, and syphilis. Persistent PH (binary) was associated with a 20% or greater increase in the risk of depression (RR, 1.26 (1.07, 1.47)) and multiple partnerships (RR, 1.20 (1.05, 1.39)). There was evidence that ordinal PH was associated with elevated risk of alcohol use (RR, 1.17 (1.00, 1.36)); the point estimate for the association between persistent PH and alcohol use was similar but the imprecision was greater (RR, 1.16 (0.95, 1.42)). PH may influence not only mental health but also behavioral risks that contribute to HIV/STI among BSMM/BTW, highlighting the potential wide-ranging and downstream effects of PH on health. Further research is required to confirm associations and elucidate pathways through which PH may influence HIV/STI among BSMM/BTW.

Black Women in Leadership Positions in Rural Nonprofit Organizations: Shifting Toward Intentional Intergenerational Leadership and Mentorship Model Centered on Black Women’s Collective Identity

ABSTRACT Black women overcome various social and structural obstacles while advancing to leadership positions. The purpose of this study is to understand the lived experiences of Black women leaders as they rose to the leadership position. We used the grounded theory method to analyze the lived experiences of n = 12 Black women leaders working in nonprofit organizations, from a broader sampled study from 2017–2018, using semi-structured interviews, in rural East Texas. Based on our analyses, Black women's leadership trajectory centered around intergenerational leadership development, leadership values, and other’s perception of Black woman in leadership. The themes generated show that Black women have remarkable resilience in a service-driven leadership ideology grounded in faith, family, community support, and the collective identity of being a Black woman. Generating intentional leadership pathways for strong and compassionate next-generation of Black women leaders and mentors is essential for development and sustainability of nonprofit human service organizations.

Beyond Birth Work: Addressing Social Determinants of Health With Community Perinatal Support Doulas.

Adverse maternal and infant health outcomes among African Americans are increasingly recognized as indicators of a critical public health crisis in the United States. Research has found that stress is related to structural racism and the social determinants of health (SDOH) that cause avoidable, unfair inequities in resources, education, power, and opportunities across ethnic groups. This paper describes the SDOH needs and experiences of pregnant Black women from the perspective of doulas and Birthing Beautiful Communities (BBC) clients. The design was a qualitative description, using data collected over time (2017-2018, 2020-2021, and 2023). This study took place in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio and the sample included 58 clients, 26 doulas, and 2 resource intake specialist assistants (RISAs). Qualitative data included individual client interviews, three doula focus groups, and one interview with two BBC RISAs. Three coders used content analysis to deductively identify SDOHs and calculate the number of interviews that contained information about specific SDOHs. Although the sample reported issues with all SDOH, particular ones caused a cascade of SDOH effects. Transportation issues, for example, impeded women from being able to make it to work, doctor's appointments, and to purchase essential baby items (e.g., food, infant supplies). An inability to work-whether because of transportation challenges or pregnancy-related health complications-led to unstable housing and an inability to deal with transportation challenges. Many clients mentioned that housing was a major issue, with many clients experiencing housing instability. Implications include ensuring SDOH information is collected from a trusted source who can advocate and ensure access to a wide range of local resources, ensuring policies protect pregnant women from experiencing a cascade of SDOH that may contribute to continuing health disparate infant and maternal health outcomes in African American women.

Peer mentors' experiences in an online STEM peer mentoring program: “beacons of light”

PurposeRacially and ethnically minoritized (REM) women continue to be underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs and careers. Peer mentoring is one strategy that can support their participation. This study explores the experiences of Black women peer mentors in an online peer mentoring program at two historically Black institutions.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative case study approach was utilized to explore the impact of an online peer mentoring program on peer mentors' STEM self-efficacy, sense of community, STEM identity and intent to persist in STEM.FindingsAnalysis identified five themes relating to peer mentors' experiences in the program: (1) an “I can do this” approach: confidence and self-efficacy; (2) utility of like others; (3) “beacons of light”: intersecting and malleable identities; (4) skills development and (5) motivation and reciprocity. Further, challenges of the online relationship were shared.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the body of knowledge by demonstrating the utility of an online peer mentoring model among women mentors enrolled in STEM programs at two historically Black institutions. The findings support those who are historically marginalized in participating in and remaining in STEM.

"Nobody wants to have conversation about HIV." A thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with Black adolescent women and providers about strategies for discussing sexual health and HIV prevention.

Black adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in the U.S. Southeast are disproportionately burdened by HIV. Infrequent assessment of sexual health in clinical encounters may contribute to low PrEP uptake for this population. This study explores Black AGYW and providers' perspectives on engaging in discussions about sexual health, including PrEP. In-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with Black AGYW ages 14-24 and healthcare providers (MD, DO, NP, PA) who self-reported caring for Black AGYWs in Alabama. IDIs were grounded in Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Service Utilization to explore barriers and facilitators to sexual health discussions. After separate analyses, AGYW and provider IDIs were aggregated and reanalyzed using thematic analysis to identify themes related to their views on ways to improve Black AGYW engagement in sexual health discussions while in clinical settings. Twelve Black AGYW and 11 providers completed IDIs. Client median age was 21, representing nine Alabama counties. Providers were predominately non-Hispanic White (82%), female (73%), and physicians (64%). Themes about ways to improve sexual health discussions included: 1) Improve sexual health education for providers and adolescents; 2) Normalize conversations in clinical settings; 3) Engage communities to continue these conversations outside of clinical settings. Sexual health and HIV prevention discussions with Black AGYW are not occurring. This study is one of the first to to identify and highlight Black AGYW and provider-identified shared strategies for improving these discussions. Operationalizing these strategies is crucial to facilitating these discussions.

Portals to the past and bridges to the future: exploring the impact of doulas on the birthing experiences of black and Latinx women

IntroductionIn the USA, maternal morbidity and mortality is markedly higher for women of colour than for white women. The presence of a doula has been associated with positive birthing outcomes...

THE REVOLUTION OF OUR UNDERSTANDING OF DOMESTIC WORK: THE CONSTITUTIONAL CASE OF Mahlangu v Minister of Labour [2020] ZACC 24

This case note studies the effects of the case of Mahlangu v Minister of Labour ([2020] ZACC 24) (Mahlangu) on domestic work. It argues that the historical and colonial understanding of domestic work is premised on slavery and servitude, and so the understanding of domestic work is one that for centuries has rendered Black women who perform this work invisible. This case note shows how the Mahlangu judgment has revolutionised our understanding of domestic work. It further argues that the exclusion of domestic work from the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (130 of 1993) (COIDA) overlooked domestic work as a type of employment worthy of compensation. The Mahlangu judgment has effected changes to COIDA, allowing for the definition of “employee” to include domestic workers. Lastly, the case note shows that this inclusion is a step forward in regulating domestic work effectively as a form of legitimate employment and further humanising women who make up the large majority of those that do this work.

Does everyday discrimination account for the increased risk of vasomotor symptoms in Black women?: the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN).

Vasomotor symptoms (VMS), including hot flashes and night sweats, are hallmark symptoms of the menopause transition. Previous research has documented greater frequency, duration, and severity of VMS in Black women compared with women from other racial/ethnic groups, even after accounting for other factors. This analysis examined the association between discrimination and VMS and the extent to which discrimination accounts for the disproportionate burden of VMS in Black women. Using available discrimination and VMS data from the SWAN cohort study (n = 2,377, 48% White, 32% Black, 6% Japanese, 4% Chinese, and 9% Hispanic women) followed approximately yearly in midlife from premenopause (42-52 y) through postmenopause (~20 y), we assessed concurrent associations between discrimination and VMS frequency in the past 2 weeks using weighted generalized mixed models. We also assessed associations between chronic discrimination across first four visits and VMS trajectories from premenopause to postmenopause using weighted multinomial logistic regression. Models were adjusted for known risk factors for VMS. Higher levels of discrimination were associated with concurrent reporting of any (odds ratio [OR], 1.57 [1.31-1.89]) and frequent (≥6 d) VMS (OR, 1.55 [1.21-1.99]). After adjustment, associations remained significant for any (OR, 1.30 [1.09-1.54]) but not frequent VMS. For any VMS trajectories, chronic discrimination was associated with "continuously high" (OR, 1.69 [1.03-2.77]) and "high pre-FMP-decline post-FMP" (OR, 1.70 [1.01-2.88]) versus "FMP-onset low" trajectories. After adjusting for discrimination, odds of reporting any, frequent, and of being in the "continuously high" any VMS trajectory remained elevated for Black versus White women. Discrimination is associated with greater concurrent risk of any (but not frequent) VMS, and chronic discrimination is associated with a continuously high reporting of any VMS over time, independent of known risk factors. Adjusting for discrimination attenuates but does not eliminate the increased risk of VMS for Black women.

Gendered racial microaggressions and stress in PAs who are Black women.

This mixed-methods study explored whether physician associates/assistants (PAs) who are Black women (for brevity, called Black women PAs throughout this article) experience gendered racial microaggressions and whether these experiences correlated with psychologic distress. The phrase Black women encompasses those who identify with the sociocultural roles, behaviors, and expressions of being a Black woman. We conducted an online survey of Black women PAs using the Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale during a 2-month period in 2019. Black women PAs experienced gendered racial microaggressions in clinical settings. Gendered racial microaggressions were correlated with stress, being silenced and marginalized, and assumptions of beauty and sexual objectification. No correlations were found between stress and the angry Black woman and strong Black woman variables. This study revealed that Black women have interlocking forms of oppression related to their race and gender, which are associated with psychologic distress. Awareness of these occurrences can reduce the unknowing perpetuation of gendered racial microaggressions and create cultural awareness practices.

Gendered Anti-Blackness: Policing Black Women and the Making of the Modern City

The Streets Belong to Us makes a significant contribution to multiple fields, most principally the history of race, gender, sexuality, incarceration, and state violence in the United States. It is a definitive history of the changing nature of police power, and the ways that it defined, defended, and enforced the logics that undergirded racial segregation. Illuminating the significant degree to which urban policymaking and planning depended on state violence, Anne Fischer compels us to better appreciate the relation between the making and the remaking of the modern city and the consolidation of police power. To do so, we must see that this connection was made possible through the surveillance, harassment, and sexual criminalization of Black women. Women’s bodies, particularly Black women’s bodies, acted as the constitutive material that made up the very fabric of state power and racial segregation. Along with presenting an analysis of the racial and gendered dimensions of morals law enforcement, The Streets Belong to Us moves Black women out of the shadows of urban history by grounding the analysis within the intellectual production by Black feminist organizers and scholars. Their concept of gendered anti-Blackness proved indispensable to feminist antiviolence struggles of the late twentieth century.

The association between neighborhood disadvantage and subjective cognitive functioning among Black women (PL4.003)

The association between neighborhood disadvantage and subjective cognitive functioning among Black women (PL4.003)

The Sex Wars: Prostitution, Carceral Feminists, and the Consolidation of Police Power

Anne Gray Fischer’s The Streets Belong to Us makes an important contribution to the growing historiography of post-1970’s feminism in the United States. Her final chapter deftly explores the rise of what she calls “dominance feminists” who allied with police departments in their campaigns against commercial sex. However, this alliance overlooked the realities of on-the-ground policing and exacerbated the marginalization of Black women. Fischer’s analysis underscores the importance of centering Black women’s experiences and engaging with communities impacted by police harassment to inform more inclusive and effective feminist strategies.