Reimagining Hope and Healing at the Margins: A Womanist Approach to Collaborative Care for Black Women
Lisa Robinson, EdD, MDiv, MBA, MSW, Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC
This presentation explores a womanist approach to reimagining healthcare and spiritual support for Black women, who have historically been marginalized by both medical and religious institutions. Drawing on the conference theme, "Nurturing Hope: Expanding Holistic Care at the Margins," this presentation examines how Jesus' model of reversal, rescue, and restoration can inform collaborative efforts between healthcare providers, faith communities, and social workers to serve Black women patients and clients better.
The womanist lens, rooted in the experiences and wisdom of Black women, provides a critical framework for understanding the intersectionality of race, gender, health, and spirituality. This perspective, articulated by scholars such as Delores Williams and Emilie Townes, emphasizes the importance of communal self-love, resistance against oppressive systems, and the integration of spiritual and physical well-being. By centering the voices and experiences of Black women, this presentation seeks to explore contemporary models of challenging and transforming traditional healthcare and religious paradigms.
The presentation also analyzes the theological dimensions of Jesus's ministry—focusing on the interplay of reversal, rescue, and restoration—as vital frameworks for understanding healthcare transformation through a womanist lens. These concepts take on particular significance when examining the experiences of Black women navigating healthcare inequities. From delayed diagnoses to dismissal of symptoms, the current healthcare landscape reveals the urgent need for systemic change. Jesus's healing ministry provides both spiritual insight and practical guidance. His reversal validates Black women's healthcare experiences and knowledge, overturning societal norms that have historically marginalized their voices. His rescue challenges systems of medical oppression, confronting structures that perpetuate disparities in care and His restoration offers healing that encompasses both current medical needs and generational healing. This framework, powerfully illustrated in His interaction with the woman experiencing hemorrhage, demonstrates how theological understanding can inspire concrete healthcare reform.
Drawing from womanist wisdom this presentation proposes a collaborative model that brings together healthcare providers, faith leaders, and social workers to create comprehensive nurturing support systems for Black women.
Key aspects of this collaborative approach are:
• Culturally responsive health education materials made available to healthcare and mental health providers that reflect the lived experiences and spiritual traditions of Black women.
• Community-based health initiatives rooted in faith traditions and ancestral wisdom, leveraging the strength of Black churches and other spiritual communities.
• Faith health partnerships, recognizing the interconnectedness of spiritual, physical, and social well-being.
• Patient advocacy programs inspired by Jesus' prophetic stance, empowering Black women to navigate and challenge inequitable healthcare systems.
This theoretical framework finds practical expression in emerging healthcare initiatives. For example, contemporary organizations led by Black women clinicians, such as the Root Cause Collective, are pioneering new approaches to mental healthcare delivery. These initiatives deliberately operate beyond traditional market-driven models, creating therapeutic spaces that honor both clinical expertise and spiritual wisdom. Such innovations demonstrate the transformative potential of applying womanist principles to healthcare delivery, particularly in mental health services designed by and for Black women.
This presentation will conclude by emphasizing the importance of ongoing dialogue and partnership between healthcare systems, faith communities, and Black women themselves in creating spaces of hope and healing that are truly inclusive and equitable. Finally, it calls for a commitment to continuous learning, adaptation, and transformation in the pursuit of holistic care that honors the dignity, resilience, and spiritual wisdom of Black women. In doing so, we don't just offer hope and healing - we cultivate communities of justice and joy where Black women can thrive in all aspects of their lives. This is the essence of reimagining hope and healing at the margins - a journey that demands our ongoing commitment, creativity, and courage.
The womanist lens, rooted in the experiences and wisdom of Black women, provides a critical framework for understanding the intersectionality of race, gender, health, and spirituality. This perspective, articulated by scholars such as Delores Williams and Emilie Townes, emphasizes the importance of communal self-love, resistance against oppressive systems, and the integration of spiritual and physical well-being. By centering the voices and experiences of Black women, this presentation seeks to explore contemporary models of challenging and transforming traditional healthcare and religious paradigms.
The presentation also analyzes the theological dimensions of Jesus's ministry—focusing on the interplay of reversal, rescue, and restoration—as vital frameworks for understanding healthcare transformation through a womanist lens. These concepts take on particular significance when examining the experiences of Black women navigating healthcare inequities. From delayed diagnoses to dismissal of symptoms, the current healthcare landscape reveals the urgent need for systemic change. Jesus's healing ministry provides both spiritual insight and practical guidance. His reversal validates Black women's healthcare experiences and knowledge, overturning societal norms that have historically marginalized their voices. His rescue challenges systems of medical oppression, confronting structures that perpetuate disparities in care and His restoration offers healing that encompasses both current medical needs and generational healing. This framework, powerfully illustrated in His interaction with the woman experiencing hemorrhage, demonstrates how theological understanding can inspire concrete healthcare reform.
Drawing from womanist wisdom this presentation proposes a collaborative model that brings together healthcare providers, faith leaders, and social workers to create comprehensive nurturing support systems for Black women.
Key aspects of this collaborative approach are:
• Culturally responsive health education materials made available to healthcare and mental health providers that reflect the lived experiences and spiritual traditions of Black women.
• Community-based health initiatives rooted in faith traditions and ancestral wisdom, leveraging the strength of Black churches and other spiritual communities.
• Faith health partnerships, recognizing the interconnectedness of spiritual, physical, and social well-being.
• Patient advocacy programs inspired by Jesus' prophetic stance, empowering Black women to navigate and challenge inequitable healthcare systems.
This theoretical framework finds practical expression in emerging healthcare initiatives. For example, contemporary organizations led by Black women clinicians, such as the Root Cause Collective, are pioneering new approaches to mental healthcare delivery. These initiatives deliberately operate beyond traditional market-driven models, creating therapeutic spaces that honor both clinical expertise and spiritual wisdom. Such innovations demonstrate the transformative potential of applying womanist principles to healthcare delivery, particularly in mental health services designed by and for Black women.
This presentation will conclude by emphasizing the importance of ongoing dialogue and partnership between healthcare systems, faith communities, and Black women themselves in creating spaces of hope and healing that are truly inclusive and equitable. Finally, it calls for a commitment to continuous learning, adaptation, and transformation in the pursuit of holistic care that honors the dignity, resilience, and spiritual wisdom of Black women. In doing so, we don't just offer hope and healing - we cultivate communities of justice and joy where Black women can thrive in all aspects of their lives. This is the essence of reimagining hope and healing at the margins - a journey that demands our ongoing commitment, creativity, and courage.