Book Contents
CO-EDITORS
Co-Editors Stephanie Y. Evans, Sarita Davis, Leslie Hinkson, and Deanna Wathington
INTRODUCTION
Race, Gender, and Public Health: Social Justice and Wellness Work. Stephanie Y. Evans, Sarita Davis, Leslie Hinkson, and Deanna Wathington
PART I: NAME INEQUITY
CHAPTER 1
Reversing the Dehumanization of Black Women
Tiffany D. Thomas and Mandy Hill
CHAPTER 2
An Overview of The Past, Present, and Future of Black Women in Health Policy
Rebekah Israel Cross, Brittney Butler, and Mya L. Roberson
CHAPTER 3
The Maternal Mortality Crisis in the Black Community
Jovonni R. Spinner, Sheila Carrette, Joylene John-Sowah
CHAPTER 4
Promoting Self-Care and Awareness of Stress, the Strong Black Woman Schema, and Mental Health among African-American Women
Dakota King-White, Kelly Yu-Hsin Liao, and Elice E. Rogers
PART II: LOCATE DISPARITY
CHAPTER 5
The Black Women’s Health Study: Working Together to Improve the Health of Black Women
Traci N. Bethea and Yvette C. Cozier
CHAPTER 6
The ‘Swelling Wave of Oppression’: An Intersectional Study to Evaluate Health Challenges of Self-Identified Black Queer Women in the American South
Jayme Canty
CHAPTER 7
Rural Black Maternal Health in the Age of Digital Deserts
Alisa Valentin and Christy Gamble Hines
CHAPETER 8
Pouring from a Leaking Cup: Informal Family Caregivers in the Black Community
Esther Piervil
PART III: ACT FOR CHANGE
CHAPTER 9
Black Women and Public Health in the UK
Jenny Douglas
CHAPTER 10
Enhancing Clinical Practice to include Biomedical HIV Prevention for Black Women
Mandy Hill, Ndidiamaka N. Amutah-Onukagha, Charlene A. Flash, Kelli Joiner, Folake Olayinka, and Bisola Ojikutu
CHAPTER 11
Am I My Sister’s Mentor?: Why Mentoring Underrepresented Minority Medical and Public Health Faculty Can Improve the Health of Black Women
Andrea Anderson, Judy Washington, and Joedrecka S. Brown Speights
CHAPTER 12
Stress and Black Women’s Health: Origins, Coping Strategies and Implications for Policy and Practice
Portia A. Jackson Preston, Leslie Bronner, and Yvonne Bronner
CHAPTER 13
Alice Coltrane-Turiyasangitananda’s Yogic Journey: Creativity, Community and Caretaking
Tamara Y. Jeffries, Santiba D. Campbell, and Yasmeen Long
CHAPTER 14
When Black Scholars Embrace Ourselves in our Research, We Reclaim our Power
Sarita Davis
AFTERWORD
Jasmine Ward, President Black Ladies in Public Health
[Photo: The 1938 Mississippi Health Project. 4th Annual Report of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, December 1938.]
Contributors
Book Cover Art
Cover Art by Madcollage
Mad Collage
“Loving Comfort (Byllye Avery)”
(Art prints available for order from artist website)
Artist Statement
Allow me to, albeit briefly, explain how this image came about.
I envisioned Mrs. Avery in a central position, commanding the image. She’s looking at the horizon, which is a reference to hope, and she is standing tall with a strong posture. The background, in my opinion, needed to be simple so not to detract from her.
I combined the muted purple and the rusty red of the flower petals with some traditional colors from handmade, block printed African textiles that I found during my research. I feel they enhance each other quite well. The duafe symbol you introduced me to is encircled by both red and purple circles as well as some print, which for me symbolizes Byllye Avery’s ability to communicate and teach others through words. The lighter background offsets the symbol in a way that improves its visibility.
I then placed it over her heart. Its perimeter is punctuated with more rusty red petals from the passionflower. I chose this flower because it symbolizes not only suffering, but also determination and sacrifice. To create a middle ground and to further make her face the main focal point of the image, I used a complementary ochre circle also bordered by passionflower petals. There is also a smaller circle made out of a semitransparent map that, in my interpretation, shows her reach being not just local, but global.
Finally, in reading about the different adinkra symbols and their meanings, I learned that the adinkrahene (concentric circles) is considered to be the seminal and most powerful of these symbols. I use it in the very first and deepest layer of the collage, repetitively, not only due to its visual impact, but because I think she embodies many of its characteristics: charisma and leadership within her field of expertise.
The image is an ephemeral mixed media collage, which means that there’s no final product other than the image itself. The elements are placed together, some glued, some painted, and they are later disassembled.
I just want to say that it was an honor and a pleasure to learn so much during this process, and that I look forward to the publication of the book with great anticipation.
With warmest regards,
Madcollage
