Читать книгу Black Women's Health - Michele Tracy Berger - Страница 20

The conclusion ties together the various strands of the book’s argument and demonstrates that scholars, public policy officials, and African American communities all have important roles to play in changing the complex picture of African American women’s and girls’ health. I argue that, in order to make an impact on the health and well-being of African American women and girls, scholars must understand the contextually rich experiences of mothers and daughters. Patterns about mother and daughter communication and how they navigate intersecting forms of oppression provide important places to look for clues about health practices and can play a role in structuring interventions and improving medical provider interactions. When we ask different questions about the experience of health of African American mothers and their adolescent daughters with a more nuanced and qualitative approach, we see more of both the challenges and the possibilities. The resiliency of how Black girls work to maintain their health while navigating gender and racial stereotyping is more clearly captured by this approach. This research broadens our understanding of how African American girls interpret, cope with, and push back against both familial and cultural messages of health and well-being. Public policy debates across several dimensions, including health, sexual education, and HIV/AIDS, are discussed to provide a context for strategic planning and thinking. I also offer ideas about the role that communities can play in supporting African American mothers’ caretaking and the need for broader public investment in African American girls.