Rest. The Revolution Black Women Need.

Recently, The Communities Foundation of Texas hosted an event entitled, “Grown Woman Talk,” where Dr. Sharon Malone shared her expertise on perimenopause, menopause, and the impact on women’s health as they age. Seeing so many women starting to normalize these conversations about menopause, from local stages to national social media platforms, feels like the kind of progress women need to raise awareness about successfully navigating life-changing milestones and improve the overall health and wellness of Black women collectively. As the evening went on, a recurring theme emerged when considering the medical research. Black women are more likely to start menopause earlier than other groups of women, and experience more severe symptoms when they do. This seems to be the same type of phenomenon that we also see when it comes to a host of other medical conditions that disproportionately affect Black women, including, but not limited to: problems with fibroids and maternal health outcomes. Even when controlling for variables like education level, class, and access to healthcare services, Black women continue to remain more likely to experience these health issues that drastically impact their quality of life.& Boston University is credited with having the longest running study of Black Women’s...