Ideastream Public Media has been exploring how Black women in Cleveland are impacted, being in a city that was ranked the lowest among major U. S. cities for Black women in the areas of income, health and education by researchers in Pittsburgh. Award-winning journalist, Betty Halliburton, continues the discussion started in our groundbreaking podcast Living for We with a new two-part video series, Black Women: Hope, Health, Healing.
In part one, above, Halliburton interviews Black women from various backgrounds, ages and viewpoints and also shares her personal reflections. Among those featured are Airica Steed, the first Black woman and first nurse to serve as president and CEO of the MetroHealth System and the first Black female physician hired by the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Linda Bradley, an obstetrician and gynecologist and vice chair of the Clinic’s Women’s Health Institute. Haliburton explores why the average life expectancy for all people in the country is about 78 years old, but the average life expectancy for Black females is 74.
Black Women: Our Hope, Health, Healing Part 2
In part two of the series, Halliburton continues the examination of issues affecting the health and well-being of Black women in Cleveland. She speaks with several Black women facing physical and mental health challenges.
Cardiovascular disease and stroke are the number one killers of Black women in the U.S., according to the American Heart Association. African American women are also 110% more likely to have serious morbidity from the birthing process, according to Dr. Jessica Whitley, an internal medicine and quality improvement specialist.