What Will it Take for Black Women to Get Healthy?

What Will it Take for Black Women to Get Healthy?

As I approach the 3rd anniversary of my mother’s death on May 22, 2006, and the deaths of dozens of Black women near and dear to me over the course of my life, I contemplate this question daily…What will it take for Black Women to Get Healthy?The question deepens in seriousness as I contemplate the disparities that persist between Black women and other women that have now been well documented. Black women are more likely to die from a heart attack, stroke, diabetes, cancer, or to be obese in comparison to white women and other women. And women of color generally, regardless of ethnicity, are at greater risk of developing and dying from these conditions in comparison to our white female counterparts. Did I mention HIV & AIDS?We know this on no uncertain terms. Now what? How are we using this information and the experience of burying too many of our mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, daughters, granddaughters and friends too early from largely preventable diseases? What will we do now to turn the tide for ourselves while we still have the time? I will acknowledge that many of us are in good health and have adopted healthy behaviors like exercising regularly, cutting high fat and fried foods from our diet, drinking fewer sodas and more water, buying unprocessed foods and eating more raw fruits and veggies. In seeing this and practicing it myself (with MUCH room for improvement) I believe a new generation of Black women is quietly emerging–a health-centered, health conscious generation of sisters who are breaking the mold, who are getting up, getting out, and getting active in caring for their bodies, their minds, and their spirits. This gives me immense hope. But more is needed, and change must be consistent over time if it is to aid in shifting us as individuals and as a group from a position of chronic illness and vulnerability to one of total wellness and longevity. I’m tired of reading about the disparities. It’s time to write a new story. It’s time to overcome our reluctance to giving up old ways of eating, old ways of cooking, and old habits of working ourselves to death while taking little to no time to exercise our bodies. It’s time to stop carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders and on our waistlines–and to decide today that our health will be priority number 1. It’s time to stop making excuses. So I ask you, as I ask myself, what will you do today, tomorrow, and every day moving foward to nurture your health? What will you give up and what will you add on to bring your life into balance mind, body & spirit? How will you change your behavior to in such a way that helps you maintain habits that result in good heart health, a healthy weight and fitness level, healthy eating habits, low-stress living, and ultimately, longevity? What will you do as a Black woman to get healthy for life right now? Lisa