Women are really powerful — and Black women even more so. It's just that so many people have tried to mute them for so long.
"The decision to ignore Black women isn't a new one," writes Keah Brown for Dame. "We are often ignored and undervalued at work, in our own communities, and by the world at large. We aren’t given agency and the violence against us is systematic and guarded by the idea that we are not human."
As Keah says, the issue began well before her time. "Black women see this treatment from all sides now despite history showing just how wrong it is," she continues. "We are culturally silenced as well. I have lost count of the number of white women who have asked me to forget being black in favor of their movement."
While there's still so much work to do, there are still some wonderful Black voices that are standing out and making a difference. And even better, many of those voices are Black moms, who are already busy raising the next generation of powerful young men and women who also seek change. Here are nine Black moms you should be following right now.
1. Angela Doyinsola Aina
Angela Doyinsola Aina is the codirector and research lead for the Black Mamas Matter Alliance. According to WebMD, which did a feature on Angela and her work, the alliance got its start with a collaboration between the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) and the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective.
One of the matters that Angela focuses on most is the mortality rate of Black women who are pregnant. "Even when they’ve done everything they could to have a viable and healthy pregnancy, they’re still experiencing horrible birth outcomes and are even dying," she said. "This is a serious system problem."
2. Alexandra Elle
Alexandra Elle is a mom and a wellness consultant from Washington, DC. She often hosts workshops and retreats for women to find their voice artistically and primarily through writing. She is also a writer and author herself.
She believes in the importance of self-care through writing, and she actually has a few freebies on her website for anyone who's interested in giving it a try.
Currently, she has 1 million followers on Instagram.
3. Monifa Bandele
Monifa is also involved with maternal health care for Black women. She has a very impressive background, working in policy analysis, civic engagement organizing, project management, and communications. She's a Black Lives Matter activist and a strong believer in the power of Black women.
She realized her power the second after she gave birth. On the MomsRising website, she states that "right after the moment I gave birth, I realized that I could do any and everything." And she's absolutely correct.
4. Dominique Jordan Turner
Dominique is an identity informed leadership coach and a public speaker. She was the first in her family to graduate college, and afterward, she still felt as if the cards were unfairly dealt. "We live in a world where your race, class, income or gender determine the quality of life you will live," she writes. "I believe we can change that!"
"I help Black women and other marginalized communities to use both hustle and heart to achieve the hopes and dreams of our ancestors by sharing the {unwritten} rules nobody teaches us in school," she states. Anyone who needs a mentor should look no further.
5. Alma Adams
Not only is Dr. Alma S. Adams a leader, but she's involved with making change. In the past, she's worked with committees such as the Committee on Education and Labor and the Committee on Agriculture. But one of her biggest achievements has been working with the Fostering Undergraduate Talent by Unlocking Resources for Education Act. Otherwise known as FUTURE, this act supports minority-serving institutions by giving $255 million a year in funding.
Education is very important to Alma. She once served as an art teacher at Bennett College. And she's also a mom of two — daughter Linda Jeanelle Lindsay and son Billy E. Adams II.
6. Jennie Joseph
Jennie has worked in hospitals both in America and overseas. She's so involved in women's health care that she's actually part of Florida's Council of Licensed Midwifery.
She believes in patient-centered care and understands the importance of women in the industry. She's so knowledgeable that she often travels for maternal child health conferences and has even created her own method of prenatal visits called "The JJ Way." According to Commonsense Childbirth, her method focuses on "prenatal bonding through respect, support, education, encouragement and empowerment."
7. Serena Williams
Serena Williams is one of the most popular Black celebrity moms around these days — and it's partially because she's done such a beautiful job managing both motherhood and her very busy career. But Serena is important for other reasons as well. For one, she opened up about the issues she faced in the hospital when giving birth and the importance of advocating for your own health.
Serena Williams had a pulmonary embolism, which made her labor a life-threatening situation. While she was able to get good help, she's fully aware that many Black women don't have that option.
"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, black women in the United States are over three times more likely to die from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes," she wrote in a piece for CNN. "But this is not just a challenge in the United States. Around the world, thousands of women struggle to give birth in the poorest countries. When they have complications like mine, there are often no drugs, health facilities or doctors to save them. If they don't want to give birth at home, they have to travel great distances at the height of pregnancy. Before they even bring a new life into this world, the cards are already stacked against them."
The more women who speak up about this, the better. Black lives matter, especially when it comes to getting proper health treatment.
8. Meena Harris
Meena Harris is a name that might already sound familiar to you — and that's because she's related to our vice president, Kamala Harris. She's the daughter of Maya Harris — Kamala's sister — and proudly calls Tony West her stepfather.
In 2017, Meena founded Phenomenal, a company that was inspired by a Maya Angelou poem. The organization is all about girl power and bringing awareness to various social causes.
As expected, Meena was very much influenced by the women in her family. "I grew up surrounded by these strong, brilliant women who showed me what it meant to show up in the world with purpose and intention," she told Glamour. "My grandma was a single mom, my mom was a single mom, and then Kamala didn’t have kids of her own when I was young. I just idolized them — these incredible women who were all around me. Seeing [them] and hearing [their] stories was formative for me."
9. Jasmine Johnson
Jasmine may be better known as "Mrs. Mommy MD" on Instagram. She's a mother of two and a former OB-GYN resident who's currently a maternal-fetal medicine fellow. She's also a great resource for moms who want to go into health care.
She also makes a point to say that only 2% of physicians are Black women, a statistic that needs to change. "I have said before that for my children,
in our house, a Black, female physician is the rule, and not the exception," she said on Instagram. "Can you imagine never seeing a doctor that looks like you? This is the reality for many Black Americans. Here's to the women physicians who have paved the way for us all."
