health
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In 2026, we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the end of the first Reconstruction, the 100th anniversary of the origins of Black History Month, and the 50th anniversary of its official federal recognition. In February 1926, historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH) launched the first…
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A recent article in Allure reported that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) again missed its already extended deadline of December 2025 to act on a proposed ban on the use of formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals as an ingredient in hair-smoothing or hair-straightening products marketed in the United States that are applied to the hair…
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Blavity last month covered the release of the children’s book “A Black Girl and HerBraids” by Philadelphia-based actor, poet, and author Jaylene Clark Owens. Described as a love letter to Black girls, the book celebrates Black culture, beauty, and resilience through the lens of hair. The book is adapted from Owens’s original poem that went…
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Lawsuits by more than 13,000 women who have suffered gynecological cancers caused by use of hair relaxer products continue in federal court in Chicago, while hundreds of similar cases have been filed by women in state courts in Illinois, Georgia, and elsewhere. The MDL cases are completing the evidence collection stage called “discovery” against the…
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By Tyler Kyser and Marisol Castro The health of Black and Indigenous women in the United States reflects a long parallel history of inequality and a continuum of harm. From historic forced and coerced sterilization to ongoing neglect, the treatment of Black and Indigenous women in healthcare remains an issue that demands continued attention and…
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By Nneka Nwabueze, Equal Justice Society, Summer Legal Intern & JD Candidate at Howard University School of Law ’27 To understand and address health inequity today, it is important to know that many of the disparities we see now are rooted in decisions and policies that were created over a century ago. One of the…
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The CDC approximates that 2.3% of U.S. births each year result from assisted reproductive technologies, including in vitro fertilization (IVF). Black and Latina women are more likely to experience infertility but have less access to assisted reproductive technologies. Lieff Cabraser assists hopeful parents seeking justice from fertility companies and IVF supply manufacturers for failures that…
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Scientists at the University of Oxford, funded by Cancer Research UK, are researching OvarianVax, a vaccine which teaches the immune system to recognize and attack the earliest stages of ovarian cancer. If the research is successful, work will then begin on clinical trials of the vaccine. Ovarian cancer is the fifth-leading cause of cancer death…
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The Wall Street Journal reports on the fight to eliminate cervical cancer and how Alabama, a state with the fourth highest cervical cancer rate in the United States and even higher rates for Black women and women in rural areas, is leading the way. Cervical cancer is currently the only gynecologic cancer with a screening…
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On May 7, 2024 the American Cancer Society (ACS) announced the launch of the VOICES of Black Women study, the largest behavioral and environmental focused population study of cancer risk and outcomes in Black women in the United States. In their press release, ACS explains “the VOICES of Black Women study will partner with communities of Black women…
Health Equity News 