Black Women’s Health & Livelihood Initiative
The Black Women’s Health & Livelihood Initiative envisions a world where Black women are valued and nurtured in the same way that Black women care for others. We prioritize and amplify the voice and power of Black women, at UCSF and beyond, to achieve their optimal health and well-being.
This Initiative places UCSF in a national movement to address the current realities of health care inequities for Black women.
To directly address the powerful and prevalent condition that Black women live in, we will create paths at UCSF and Bay Area communities so that Black women can lead, thrive and contribute our optimal potential at work, home and in our communities.
Our goal will be achieved through 6 key areas: Justice & Equity, Health & Well-being, Community Building, Education, Leadership, and Construction of Knowledge & Research. We will enhance and integrate existing programs and build new ones where needed using our core principles:
Center Black Women
Partner with Black Women
Demonstrate that Black Women’s Lives Matter
Engage with Community Allies
Leadership by Black Women
Who we are: Judy Young and Andrea Jackson co-lead the Black Women’s Health & Livelihood (BWH&L) Initiative. The executive team includes Sara Whetstone, LaMisha Hill, Glamarys Acevedo, and Schyneida Williams and brings years of experience in justice and equity work in the Black and LQBTQ community, education and the health sciences to the Initiative. The BWH&L Initiative is located in the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health and funded through private donations.
On Wednesday, November 6, 2019, we convened our first Bay Area Black Women’s Leadership Retreat with over 45 of the Bay Area’s and UCSF’s most prominent and leading Black women in the areas of clinical and public health, community, advocacy, education, and leadership.
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First Bay Area Black Women’s Leadership Retreat held November 6, 2019