Advancing Black Feminism in Public Health: Moving Sociology from the Margins to the Center

• In Event: 1523 - Practice Symposium Roundtables
  In Informal Discussion Roundtable: Table 10: Sociology and Social Justice in Practice Settings

Abstract

Advancing black feminism in public health is the “radical” idea that black women sociologists should be moved from “the margins to the center” of the fight against health disparities disproportionately impacting black women. Grounded in critical sociology, black feminism serves as a legitimate framework in public health for guiding research, planning, programs, treatment, partnerships, practices, and policies designed to address health disparities and inequities. This practice-centered workshop engages sociologists using real-world case studies to demonstrate concrete examples of how to integrate black feminist theory as a form of social justice aimed at better health outcomes for black women and girls. The workshop facilitator is a sociologist with over two decades of public-health federally-funded, multiple-year grants and contracts as a small business owner where she applied black feminist theory as a principle construct aimed at more relevant public health research, practice, and policies for black women. Moreover, sociological principles and practices discussed inform effective strategies for addressing the social, political, economic, and structural issues impacting black women’s continued health threats and risks. The workshop provides guidance for challenging systems of power and socially-constructed barriers masked as “social determinants”. The key principles and practices to be discussed as guidance for advancing black feminism in public health include: (1) Respect Individuals’ Right To Self-Definition And Self-Valuation; (2) Address Internalization And Justifications Of Controlling Images; (3) View Race, Class, And Gender As Intersecting Inequities; (4) Engage Women In Search For “Unique Experiences”; (5) Challenge The Matrix of Domination; (6)Frame Change Within The Context of Organizational, Structural And Individual Transformation; (7) Understand black women’s daily lives of Reality, Roles, Relationships, and Risk-Taking; (8) Balance Rigorous Research and Evaluation With Responsible Application of Findings; (9) Apply Comprehensive Solutions To Problem-Solving; and (10) Pursue Collective Empowerment, Activism, and Social Justice.

Author

• Quinn M. Gentry