by Alexa Spencer, for Word in Black When Black women walk, things change. That’s the belief of GirlTrek, a non-profit organization transforming lives through walking. The organization’s mission is unique: to reclaim their health and bodies as Black women and fight systems that enable poor health — and it’s working. Over one million GirlTrekkers have […]
Author Archives: Word in Black
Posted inHealth
How much health insurers pay for almost everything is about to go public
By Julie Appleby, Word in Black Consumers, employers, and just about everyone else interested in health care prices will soon get an unprecedented look at what insurers pay for care, perhaps helping answer a question that has long dogged those who buy insurance: Are we getting the best deal we can? As of July 1, […]
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#WordinBlack: Black educators are being ‘Rapidly Pushed’ out of the classroom
By Camika Royal, for Word in Black Amidst battles over various school reforms throughout the nation, urban educators strive to meet students’, families’, and communities’ extensive needs despite having the fewest resources. Disparate impacts of school reforms have been stratified by race. No segment of educators has experienced the intersection of school reform policy pressures, […]
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Biden takes steps to defend reproductive rights
By Breanna Reeves, for Word in Black President Biden has clarified that the only way to restore nationwide reproductive rights previously protected under Roe v. Wade is through Congress, but “until then, he has committed to doing everything in his power to defend reproductive rights and protect access to safe and legal abortion,” the White […]
Posted inCoronavirus
#WordinBlack: Fact check FALSE: If you’re young you can’t get COVID-19, and if you do – it’s not ‘that bad
By Heather M. Butts, JD, MPH, MA, Word in Black In the early days of the pandemic, the prevailing notion regarding COVID-19 was that it was a disease that only affected older people. The term “Boomer Remover” became prevalent on the internet, referring to COVID-19 as a disease that kills older individuals. According to Johns […]
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Why it is crucial for Black people to know their HIV status
By Alexa Spencer, Word in Black It’s been nearly 20 years since the United States observed its first National HIV Testing Day on June 27, 1995. But because Black people are still contracting the virus at higher rates than other groups, advocates say, folks still need to get tested. “The thing that we know about […]
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#WordinBlack: Manifesting the legacy of our liberation
By Sen. T’wina Nobles (D-Wa), Word in Black Opal Lee is the grandmother of Juneteenth. For most of her life, she has advocated to make Juneteenth a national holiday. In 2016, she even walked from her home in Ft. Worth, Texas to Washington, D.C., traveling two and a half miles each day to symbolize the […]
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#WordinBlack: Black Summer reading club
By Word In Black Fiction, nonfiction, memoir… Team Word In Black loves books. During our meetings, we regularly talk about what we’re reading and share book recommendations. We also come across plenty of must-reads during our reporting. (It turns out that experts in their field also somehow find the time to write books!) That’s why […]
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#WordinBlack: Juneteenth Ice Cream: Black exploitation or cultural celebration?
By Laura Onyeneh, Word in Black By now you would have thought corporations would have learned their lesson about exploiting Black pain for capital gain after the killing of George Floyd. Well… guess not. Walmart recalled its Juneteenth ice cream commemorating the holiday after it received heavy backlash on social media. The ice cream which […]
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#WordinBlack: Few eligible families have applied for government help to pay for COVID funerals
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio, Word in Black On a humid August afternoon in 2020, two caskets ― one silver, one white ― sat by holes in the ground at a small, graveside service in the town of Travelers Rest, South Carolina. The family had just lost a mom and dad, both to Covid-19. […]
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#WordinBlack: Acts of racial violence don’t happen in a bubble – they happen in America
By Alexa Spencer, Word in Black Two things are clear about the recent mass killing of Black people on May 14 in a Buffalo, New York grocery store. First, the attack committed by 18-year-old White male Payton Gendron that resulted in the death and injury of 11 Black people was an outright racist act. Second, […]
Posted inHealth
#WordinBlack: Love letters to Black women from 5 organizations that care about their health
By Alexa Spencer, Word in Black Every day is a good day to honor Black women. They birth the Black community (even in the most difficult conditions), raise up world leaders and change-makers, and devote their lives to creating and advocating solutions. While Black mamas are known for protecting everyone, folks are now gathering to […]