Let’s Shake the Table….

Sending our love and comfort to the family of Jessica Pettway. 

This story hits home for so many reasons—our work, our community, and even the BGHC team’s own personal experiences. 

Jessica is US. She was a mother, sister, and friend. Her life meant something to our community, and she deserved to be here. She deserved to be the, “Girl mom,” that ushered her daughters into womanhood, who held the names of secret crushes and gave the best hugs, while wiping away the tears of first heartbreak.

I have not had one conversation, in any space, with Black women, without hearing how they have directly experienced harm, or have witnessed the harm of someone they know or love at the hands of a healthcare system.  It is hard enough to simply get access to care, so why when we accomplish getting to a provider are we still dying?

Jessica’s experience isn’t uncommon. Often, our pain and our concerns are not taken seriously or addressed. When we press for more clarity or answers, we are patronized and dismissed then sent back to our homes to juggle our families, our work, and all the many hats we wear. Often without resolve and self managing symptoms. 

“Ample evidence suggests that Black and Latino people receive lower-quality care compared with White people, even after insurance coverage and income are adjusted for.”--R.Yearby, B. Clark, J.Figueroa. Structural Racism In Historical And Modern US Health Care Policy. February 2022.

We can do everything, “right,” and we still experience poor outcomes. This is larger than our maternal mortality rate, this is segregated care. This is a systemic issue, and systems cannot fix themselves, no more than a surgeon can be expected to operate on oneself. 

The call for the Black Girl Health Collective is for a change and impact and our response is centering community, OUR voices and OUR experiences. 

Our goal is to educate and create pathways to care. To curate spaces for community and providers to meet in fellowship and promote cultural humility, ensuring we are centered in our care. 

Impact looks like lower chronic illness rates, lower maternal mortality rates, and lower rates of mental health crises.

Impact looks like every person in our community knowing when they enter a room with a provider to discuss their health, that there are two experts in that space working in partnership.

Our work isn’t complete until ALL of us are safe.  Let’s shake the table and create impact for any woman that has ever been dismissed or pushed aside, for Jessica, ourselves, and those yet to come. 

-Brittany Taylor-Williams MPA, MHA

Founder, The Black Girl Health Collective