Many people in the US and abroad were shocked and surprised by the inequities in the US healthcare system that have been exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic,
but for Black people, this was not new, and we were not surprised.
For centuries we have seen and experienced firsthand the lack of respect, belief and value attributed to Black voices and Black pain within the healthcare system, and we have countless stories to tell. For that reason, the Institute of Women & Ethnic Studies created #ThisIsWhy, a campaign that explores both the systemic inequity that leads to disparities in African American health (#ThisIsWhyWeDie) while also shining a bright light on organizations, businesses, groups and individuals that celebrate and champion Blackness and contribute to its optimization, to obliterate the narrative that African American culture is to blame for negative health outcomes (#ThisIsWhyWeThrive). Through first person narratives, curated spaces for co-learning, health resources and partner profiles, the campaign shares the realities of what it is like to enter into the healthcare system while Black, as well as the entities giving Black bodies everything they need to thrive. The campaign will also work with representatives from the medical and public health sectors to design research to determine the gaps, biases and systemic failures that keep African Americans out of hospitals and out of optimal care and design a set recommendations for systemic improvements to healthcare.