Guest: Christina M. Rice

Though many of our country’s systems of care desperately need an overhaul, there’s one system in particular that could improve greatly to help Black Americans: healthcare. It’s unimaginable to any of us that we might get lesser care, for example, if we were giving birth to our first child. But black women find themselves in these situations often–even those who wouldn’t be considered to have less means–where healthcare professionals aren’t listening to their needs or taking time to understand their health concerns–and this sometimes leads to disastrous consequences, including deaths that could have been avoided. These healthcare gaps are part of an unhealthy loop that starts with a huge imbalance in economic resources, which leads to a lack of access to healthy food, gyms, nutritional education, and as our guest today says, “places that are considered well.” Christina M. Rice is a wellness expert and chief experience officer of OMNoire, a social wellness community for Black women and women of color dedicated to living well. Christina shares about her own wellness experiences as a Black woman, and how finding yoga helped her realize the need for wellness spaces where Black women and women of color feel seen and welcome. Christina describes why it’s so important for everyone to prioritize the health of Black women and men and that tackling the issues of health care inequity may be daunting, but we must speak up and do our part to amplify voices of color so that Black bodies are allowed to flourish.