Equipping and Empowering Black Women for Healing and Wholeness
In 2018 Methodist Healthcare started My Sister’s Keeper, an initiative committed to the health and well-being of Black women through health education, empowerment, and advocacy. Through monthly “Kitchen Table Talks” and our annual November summit, My Sister’s Keeper provides a connection point for Black women throughout Shelby County.
Supporting the Health of Black Women
Black women make up 28% of Shelby County, the largest subpopulation in the county. Yet, Black women are not always included as voices of leadership and wisdom in the issues that impact the African American community Moreover, the needs of Black women are high: Black women face health disparities in heart disease, breast and cervical cancer, and mental health issues, among others. It is also crucial for black women to be engaged at the highest levels of health advocacy and equity, as community health initiatives are most successful when they are led by people who are representative of the community they serve. Therefore, we focus specifically on the health of Black women as an integral aspect of overall community wellness.
Annual Summit 2025
Each year since 2018, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare has hosted our annual My Sister’s Keeper Annual Summit. This year's summit will be held on Saturday, March 1, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The topic of this year's summit is Navigating Our Unhoused Crisis: Empowering Women-It Takes a Village. To register for the event, please visit MSKSummit2025.eventbrite.com.
Kitchen Table Talks
Kitchen Table Talks are a culturally relevant and historic community-defined practice of creating safe spaces for the exploration of significant issues impacting the health of Black women. Currently our events are typically held on Zoom and feature speakers and discussions on a broad range of health-related topics.
Goals of My Sister’s Keeper
- Increase knowledge of accessible, appropriate and affordable health services that positively impact health outcomes for Black women.
- Assist in building the personal, communal and political power of Black women within the Mid-South region by offering information and workshops on the intersection of faith and health, public policy, organizing/strategizing and outreach.
- Expand the capacity of identified and designated Black women leaders from within the faith, non-profit and social club arenas (e.g. Black sororities, Links, National Council of Negro Women, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, etc.).
- Provide health education and information on strategies to prevent illness and to maintain and restore the health of Black women.
- Conduct, gather and share research on the history, current challenges and issues of Black women’s health in the Mid-South area, with a particular emphasis on those healthcare concerns identified in Methodist’s Community Health Needs Assessment.