We MUST Not Be an Afterthought: (Re)Centering Black Women in HIV Prevention
What does it actually mean to center Black women in public health?
There is a difference between being included in a conversation and being centered in it.
For Black women, that distinction matters.
I recently had the opportunity to co-author “We MUST Not Be an Afterthought: (Re)Centering Black Women in HIV Prevention” with Dr. Brittany M. Williams for NMAC, and our message is simple: Black women cannot continue to be brought into HIV prevention efforts after priorities have already been established, strategies have already been developed, and decisions have already been made.
We need to be part of shaping the work from the beginning.
Why This Conversation Matters
Much of my research, advocacy, and professional work has focused on Black women and HIV prevention, particularly our awareness of and access to PrEP. One thing continues to stand out: simply making an intervention, medication, program, or resource available does not automatically make it accessible, relevant, or responsive to the communities it is intended to serve.
And representation alone is not the same as centering.
Centering Black women means recognizing our expertise in our own lives and communities. It means investing in Black women-led organizations, researchers, advocates, and community leaders. It means asking Black women what we need before designing the solution, not after.
It also means acknowledging that Black women are not a monolith. Our experiences with healthcare, sexuality, HIV prevention, stigma, access, relationships, faith, geography, and countless other factors are varied, and our public health approaches should reflect that complexity.
From Inclusion to Influence
This conversation extends well beyond HIV.
Across public health, healthcare, research, policy, and community engagement, we should be asking ourselves who has the opportunity to actually shape the work.
Who determines the priorities?
Who receives the investment?
Whose expertise is valued?
Who is at the table when decisions are being made?
And perhaps most importantly, who was invited only after everything had already been decided?
If we are serious about improving health outcomes for Black women, then Black women cannot simply be the population a strategy is designed for. We must also be among the people designing it, leading it, evaluating it, funding it, communicating it, and determining what comes next.
That is what centering looks like.
