Center for Black Women’s Wellness

In May 2023, two of the group’s employees gave a presentation at a conference claiming Blacks in Georgia were more in danger of being exposed to a harmful environment due to structural racism. ²

The group is a partner of the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, a pro-abortion feminist group with a focus on Black women. ³

Background

The National Black Women’s Health Project, which later became the Black Women’s Health Imperative, founded the organization that became the Center for Black Women’s Wellness in 1988 to conduct self-help group development for public-housing residents. Initially, the center focused on the Mechanicsville neighborhood southwest of downtown Atlanta. ⁴

According to a 2023 presentation, the center described its founding as “out of the dual oppression of race and gender in healthcare.” ²

In 1996, the group became an independent nonprofit. The group later expanded its reach and scope to the entire metro Atlanta region. ⁴

The group operates out of the city of Atlanta-owned Dunbar Neighborhood Center which temporarily closed in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic response. Center for Black Women’s Wellness offered telehealth services during that time. The group resumed physical operations in September 2021 after raising $400,000 for renovations from the Tull Charitable Foundation and other groups and individuals. ⁵

In February 2022, the group expanded the Dunbar Center’s capacity by 1,500 square feet allowing its client base to grow from 1,300 to 2,600. ⁵

Programs Offered

The Center for Black Women’s Wellness’s focus is providing health care for underinsured and uninsured Black women. The center offers primary care services and more specialized services such as pap tests, clinical breast exams, mammograms, lab services, and mental-health services. ¹

The center has the Atlanta Healthy Start Initiative which supports pregnant women from pregnancy to postpartum. The center affirms that the health of the woman before, during, and after pregnancy is the main factor around premature birth, low birth rates, and other complications. ¹

The center offers a financial literacy course and other financial courses funded in the past by PNC Bank and PwC. ¹

Advocacy

Telehealth

In June 2023, the Center for Black Women’s Wellness supported the Tech To Save Moms Act, which was legislation filed by U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams (D-GA), U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL), U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), and U.S. Rep. David Joyce (R-OH). The legislation would expand telehealth by expanding remote patient monitoring and promoting virtual training. ⁶

Environmental Activism

In 2020, the Center for Black Women’s Wellness received a $350,000 grant from the environmental funder Cedar Tree Foundation to implement the Black Women’s Environmental Wellness Project. The project is a partnership with the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University. The program seeks to reduce exposure to harmful toxins and advocates for a left-of-center stance of environmental justice. ⁷

In May 2023, center employees Morgan Barnes and April Reid gave a presentation at Science for Georgia’s Environmental Justice and Climate Protection Conference which claimed minorities were more likely to be exposed to harmful environmental exposures such as pollution and toxins because of structural racism. ²

Black Mamas Matter Alliance

As of March 2024, the Center for Black Women’s Wellness is a partner of the left-of-center feminist, pro-abortion group Black Mamas Matter Alliance. ³

Leadership

The Center for Black Women’s Wellness President and CEO is Jemea Dorsey. ⁸

The chair of the board of directors is Danica Dilligard. ⁸

Financials

According to the Center for Black Women’s Wellness’s 2022 tax return, it had $3,070,212 in revenue, $2,956,712 in expenses, and $1,335,824 in assets. ⁹