California Black Women’s Health Project: Celebrating A 30-Year Legacy Of Improving Health And Wellness For Black Women And Girls

Photographer: Elysse Moore Thirty years ago, the nonprofit, California Black Women’s Health Project (CABWHP) was established, as a chapter of the National Black Women’s Health Project. CABWHP is committed to working to address health disparities and improve health outcomes for Black women and girls throughout the state of California. According to the California Reducing Disparities Project, CABWHP “is the only 501(c)(3) non-profit organization solely dedicated to improving the health of California’s 1.2 million Black women and girls through advocacy, education, policy, and outreach.” The research is clear—Black women “experience the worst health outcomes of any group in the United States,” regular of their income or tax bracket. This disparity still persists despite the substantial gains made over the past century. Black women have “shorter life expectancies and higher rates of maternal mortality. Moreover, Black women are disproportionately burdened by chronic conditions, such as anemia, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and obesity,” per an article published in the Journal of Women’s Health. Given the severity of this issue combined with the hostile political climate toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, on their 30th anniversary, CABWHP wants to spread awareness about the chronic underfunding of Black-led organizations engaged in the work of trying...