What Harmed to Held Believes About Healthcare + Justice for Black Women

The healthcare system was not built with Black women in mind, and that shows up every day in how we’re treated, the type of care we receive and the resources we have access to.

This work centers the realization:

• that medical racism is real and still happening
• that Black women are often under-treated, ignored, or blamed for our own health outcomes
• that your pain is real, even when the system tries to downplay it
• that you shouldn’t have to over-explain, perform, or shrink to get basic care
• that access to safe, respectful, and informed care is a justice issue, not just a medical one
• that care that ignores race, gender, and trauma is not real care
• that advocating for your health is a form of resistance in a system that has failed us for generations
• that it’s powerful to ask questions, to say no when something doesn’t feel right, and to speak up even when it’s hard
• that you should never have to trade in your dignity just to be seen or helped
• that having support, being informed, and feeling prepared can shift the room, even if the system stays broken
• that care should center people, not profit
• that it’s not your job to fix the system while you’re trying to heal in it