As Black women, our fight for endometriosis awareness/education/treatment/cure proves to be difficult. We’re constantly faced with images that don’t look like us and excluded from studies. The amount of times we have read on doctors websites and in published articles that endometriosis only affects white women with blonde and brunette hair has been too many to count. Whether in medical journals; studies; or in social media posts - we are excluded.
It is difficult enough sharing our stories with medical professionals who are usually white males, but our pain and symptoms are often dismissed….of course we are, after all, “strong” Black women. So, why would pain be an issue?
Unfortunately, these types of stereotypes and implicit biases lead to health care professionals treating us differently which affects our quality of care.
Now let’s dive into Black History Month… it proves to be interesting every year. We are supposed to, all of a sudden, work with organizations and networks that have been known to ignore us because it now suits their agenda to have a Black voice 🤦🏾♀️ The reaching out that happens during February doesn’t go unnoticed. There is a lack of support and comradeship throughout the year unless February is here and then we magically matter 🙄 Wake up call - we have endo 12 months a year; not only for 28 days in February.
We’re often left to fend and fight for ourselves. We feel out of place; as though there is no room for our stories.
Many organizations in Canada are failing Black women and this needs to change. This is why we created @endoevents
Our experiences matter too. How can organizations fight for change, when we’re not given the opportunity to be heard.
This invisible illness has rendered the Black woman invisible herself.
“If we aren’t actively working on being better humans, intentionally showing up in spaces for ourselves and each other with more grace, more kindness, and more compassion, more love and more empathy, none of this matters. None of it”
-unknown