As a country, we are witnessing a national movement in response to centuries of racial injustice and the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless other Black men and women. The Society for Women’s Health Research stands with the Black community against racial injustice. As we work to make women’s health mainstream, our commitment to ensuring that this includes Black women and other women of color has never been stronger.
Leading medical societies are speaking out against systemic and institutional racism as a longstanding public health issue. Patterns of bias and discrimination in health care have long made already marginalized communities more vulnerable to disease and death. The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest example of how racial inequities in health care are costing people of color their lives.
Since our founding 30 years ago, SWHR has advocated for the inclusion of women and people of color in medical research to ensure that they also benefit from advances in health care and medicine. We are committed to raising awareness of health disparities facing women and especially women of color, who face the compounded harms and challenges associated with both their gender and race. We are committed to ensuring the inclusion of diverse voices in all of our programs and activities. We know we can do better and welcome your feedback.
SWHR’s vision to make women’s health mainstream must be inclusive of women of color. We are committed to supporting communities of color in our work, and we acknowledge that there is much more work to do.