HER Lab - Health Equity & Racism Lab

05/02/2026

04/20/2026

H.E.R. Lab members participated in the Out of Darkness Walk Tabling Event this weekend. Members provided more information about inequities in su***de and access to mental health support by creating engaging infographics!

03/22/2026

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Pregnant women who have been swept up in President Trump’s immigration crackdown have been held in detention centers as late as eight months into their pregnancies without adequate food or medical care, according to a New York Times examination of 10 cases.

The Times review found that, in those cases, DHS violated longstanding guidelines for how to treat pregnant women in detention, subjecting them to conditions that medical experts say can jeopardize the health of mothers and their babies.

Some pregnant women said they were served food covered in cockroaches and water that tasted like bleach. In five cases identified by The Times, ICE agents cuffed a pregnant woman’s hands and ankles, even after learning about their pregnancies, according to the women, their lawyers, their families and legal briefs. Two said the agents wrapped chains around their bellies, refusing to remove them even after one woman began bleeding on the airplane bound for a detention center.

At the link in our bio, read more about the account, based on interviews with women either currently detained or recently released, as well as an analysis of court filings, government documents and medical records. Photos by , and

03/20/2026

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Expanded postpartum care = better maternal health.

The first year after giving birth can be particularly dangerous. That’s when most maternal deaths occur. Access to consistent and affordable health care in those early months is crucial for lowering rates of maternal mortality, and for closing racial and wealth gaps in maternal health. That’s why 49 states and the District of Columbia have extended Medicaid coverage to cover 12 months of postpartum care.

03/10/2026

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This month is Women’s History Month. Did you know that until 1993, women weren’t required to be included in clinical trials in the United States? For decades, much of medical research used the male body as the default model. That shaped everything from drug dosing to how diseases were recognized. We’ve made progress, but representation in research still matters. ♀️

03/10/2026

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Join us for Prepared & Protected: A Community Training on Immigration Response with Siembra NC to learn your rights.

📅 March 11 | 5:30–7:00 PM
📍 Lakeside 212 & 213

Open to students, faculty, and staff.

03/10/2026

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AI is deciding who gets hired, seen, and surveilled.
And women of colour are paying the highest price.

Facial recognition and hiring algorithms are already shaping real-world outcomes — from jobs and loans to policing. But research shows these systems are far less accurate for women of colour, exposing how bias in tech can scale discrimination.

When Joy Buolamwini, a computer scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, tested facial recognition on herself, the system failed to detect her face — until she put on a white mask.

That moment sparked the Gender Shades study, which revealed a stark gap: AI systems were nearly perfect for light-skinned men but wrong up to 47% of the time for dark-skinned women.

Today, through the Algorithmic Justice League, Buolamwini is pushing tech companies and governments to confront algorithmic bias, racial bias in AI, and the urgent need for ethical technology.

This International Women’s Day, the message is simple:
If AI is shaping the future, women of colour must be shaping the systems.

[women in tech, good news, international women’s day, positive news, feminist, much much spectrum, fyp, explore page]

03/05/2026

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Maternal health inequity in the U.S. is deeper than income alone.

A Stanford study analyzing all California births from 2007–2016 found that Black mothers and their newborns experience significantly worse health outcomes than white mothers and infants at every income level. In fact:

• Babies born to Black mothers in the top 5% of income are 1.5x more likely to be preterm or have low birth weight than babies of white mothers in the bottom 5%.
• High-income Black mothers face the same risk of dying within a year of childbirth as the poorest white mothers.
• Infant mortality among the wealthiest Black families mirrors that of the lowest-income white families.

The research challenges a long-standing assumption that economic advancement alone can close health gaps. The data suggests otherwise. If we’re serious about advancing women’s health, leadership, and equity, maternal health for all women must be part of the conversation.

08/25/2025

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Black Breastfeeding Week starts today, and we’ve got powerful programming you don’t want to miss!

Join us on Friday, August 29, 2025 at 2 PM ET for Centering Community in Breastfeeding Research, a webinar sharing research findings and strategies for culturally informed breastfeeding interventions that advance equity and improve outcomes for Black families.

You’ll hear from:
✨ Dr. Kortney Floyd James, PhD, RN, PNP, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Health Policy Researcher
✨ Dr. Tumilara Aderibigbe, PhD, MPH, RN, Assistant Professor and Breastfeeding Researcher
✨ Dr. Ifeyinwa V. Asiodu, PhD, RN, IBCLC, FAAN, Associate Professor and Lactation Consultant
✨ Moderated by Dr. Ayanna Robinson, BMMA, Inc. Director of Research and Evaluation

Be there, be present, be part of the conversation. Register now at bit.ly/bmmabbw.

08/25/2025

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We’re proud to announce the 2nd annual Black (in)Fertility Awareness Week, July 28 - Aug 2, 2025.👏🏾

Infertility is not just a medical condition; it is a human rights issue. Creating a family is a fundamental human right that should be accessible to all, regardless of socioeconomic status or geography. Unfortunately, Black communities and couples often face systemic barriers that impede their access to fertility treatments. These barriers include financial constraints, lack of insurance coverage, and discriminatory practices within the healthcare system. Addressing infertility within our community is about ensuring equity and reproductive justice for all.

Together, we’re amplifying dialogue and advocating for the human right to create families for Black communities facing infertility.

Everyday during we’ll be holding space digitally and in-person - ending with our Fertility Justice and Family Building Convening held at the Gathering Spot ATL for the families and friends impacted by infertility and barriers to fertility healthcare.
Save the date and keep your notifications on for more on Black (in)Fertility Awareness Week.