"This is our voice, these are our truths, and our stories deserve to be told." This deeply empowering and personal collection of stories brings together a wide range of Black experiences on the menopause journey. Drawing on the historical and cultural importance of storytelling traditions in African and Caribbean ancestry, this anthology breaks through a taboo topic that has too often been mired in shame and silence with courage and vulnerability. Contributions span across various heritages, sexual orientations, ages, and gender identities, curating an intimate treasury of journeys full of honesty, pain, healing, and liberation. Topics on emotional, mental, and sexual health as well as complementary therapies are all discussed with empathy and sincerity, allowing readers to broaden their depth of understanding on the experiences of Black people impacted by the menopause.
Yansie Rolston, PhD, FRSA, is Associate Director - Health & Wellbeing at The Ubele Initiative, and Director of Efficacy EVA. Yansie is passionate about the menopause and was driven to co-found YouandMe Menopause after her own challenges in getting culturally appropriate support. Yvonne Christie is Project Director at Efficacy EVA and Co-Founder of YouandMe Menopause. She has an MA in Applied Psychology of mental health services, a diploma in counselling and a diploma in community and youth work. She has worked with communities (particularly women) on a range of issues including domestic abuse, psychological issues, parenting issues and has delivered training around race and inequality.
Contents Dedication Foreword Introduction 1.Eldership - Onika Henry 2.I was only 12 - Shaneka Lambert 3.Breast Comfort , The Things We Might Miss - Nicole Joseph-Chin 4.My Black Panty - Palmela Witter 5.I Will Take Up Time - Dr Yansie Rolston 6.Understanding My Limitations - Yvonne Witter 7.Black, Trans and Menopausal - Austen Smith 8.Manifesting Wellness - Jacqueline Hinds 9.Mama K Ghanas Experience - Mbeke Waseme 10.Is HRT Necessary - Asma-Esmeralda Abdallah-Portales 11.The Return of the Pack - Pamela Windle 12.The Invisible Cracks - Myrle Roach 13.The Gynecologist - Living My Best Life - Dr Leslie Bishop 14.My Fluctuating Libido Tashini Jones 15.More To This Thank Sweating - Yvonne Christie
An anthology capturing Black experiences of the menopause journey, which have often been overlooked in research and media commentary
•Diverse range of contributors including a specialist medical officer working with Black patients and a Black transgender person
•There is a significant gap in culturally appropriate menopause knowledge and service provision for Black communities
•Helpful for community health workers and social prescribers
•Full of lived experience
These are are deeply personal experiences of vulnerability, courage, embarrassment, empowerment, pain, suffering, healing, and liberation. This is the first time an anthology of this kind has been published. The collective voices of the authors are in alignment with a shift occurring throughout the African Diaspora. Despite marginalization and invisibility, Black women and trans people all over the world are standing in their authenticity and taking charge of telling their own narratives. As a psychotherapist who has specialized in working with clients around sexuality experiences and trauma, I have directly witnessed the positive transformative effect Black women and trans people experience when they have safe spaces and platforms to be seen, heard, and taken seriously. -- Iya Rev. DeShannon Barnes-Bowens, M.S. Founder of ILERA & Author of Hush Hush: An African American Family Breaks their Silence on Sexuality and Sexual Abuse
