My Sister’s Keeper (MSK) was born in June 2020. Our mission is to empower women of color to live healthier lives through information sharing and sister bonding. We host monthly meetings and now boast slightly over 20 members. Most of us are local and friends of friends or family, but we’ve managed to get speakers well beyond our little bubble. We have managed to recruit an expert all the way from Michigan who spoke to us about breast cancer.
The MSK sisterhood came to fruition partly out of frustration with the treatment that people of color -including myself- continue to experience in the healthcare system. When COVID started, I had a lot of time to sit with my thoughts. I kept replaying scenarios of health disparities I witnessed day to day as a nurse. The maternal mortality rate in African American and Latina women, the opioid crisis disproportionately affecting Black males, and diabetes, which continues to be an ugly monster ravaging through our communities – but especially those of low socioeconomic status. These are the same problems I had previously witnessed when I lived in Detroit, Michigan. I decided that I wanted to help make a change. I wanted to do something beyond my daily job.
After sharing my frustration with my husband, he said, “why don’t you ask the women you already know how you can help?” So, I purchased a zoom account and contacted every black and brown woman on my phone and said something like, “Hey, I’ve been thinking about health-related issues that affect minority women. I want to help do something within the community about health awareness. Are you interested in meeting for something like this?”
I decided that I wanted to help make a change. I wanted to do something beyond my daily job. -Shanae Rhodes
I was pleasantly surprised to receive some replies. One of them happened to be my aunt, to whom I hadn’t spoken to in years. She works in the health-disparity unit at her company and was willing to speak about statistics. I was thrilled that she was willing to step up because honestly, I hadn’t yet come up with a solid game plan regarding exactly what that first meeting would look like. A few days passed and suddenly, I was spoiled for choice because a black physician contacted me to speak about COVID. It was during the early days in the Pandemic and a lot of people were still seeking clarification about which recommendations to follow. There was a lot of confusion because new data was coming out rapidly. Having a black physician was important because a lot of people needed to hear some of this info from not just an expert, but one who looked just like them.
The first meeting went surprisingly well and helped to lay a solid foundation for the organization moving forward. We have been going strong for almost 1 year. For every topic that the group is curious about, we invite two guest speakers – an expert in the field and someone with lived experience. One of the standout meetings was “Living Beyond Lupus” during which a 15-year-old shared her life story with us. The meetings about cancer, mental health, and caregiver health were a close second. We were so enthralled by the speakers during the Mental Health session that we extended the session by an hour. You can imagine people had a lot to say with the extra stress we’ve all been under over the last few months.
It has been rewarding to come together during the times of hardship that COVID has brought upon us, and to be a part of something that makes a difference. The women are so eager to learn that we have topics and ideas lined up well through 2023. When I look back at our short history, I’m proud of what we have established so far.
Our monthly, interactive sessions have provided a virtual setting dedicated to women of color to freely discuss timely health concerns. Our platform has also provided a safe space for our “sisters” to discuss their fears, doubts, and distrust towards the medical community. In an effort to address this persisting issue, we are currently in the planning stages of developing a Community Project. Our goal is to help build a bridge between women of color and medical communities through acknowledgement, dialogue, acceptance, understanding, trust, and respect. This is just one of many goals that we plan to accomplish. Our ultimate goal is to develop a statewide health initiative dedicated to women of color that will eventually expand outside of the boundaries of Texas.
To learn more about My Sister’s Keeper’s (MSK) monthly sessions, please visit https://www.facebook.com/MSKofTexas
If you would like to get involved with My Sister’s Keeper, please contact Shanae Rhodes at MyMSK2020@gmail.com
Learn more about Shanae Rhodes at https://www.uthscsa.edu/academics/biomedical-sciences/student-profiles/shanae-rhodes
Story: John Kouam Photo Credits: Claire Schenken, MSK Facebook
