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For generations, conversations about Black women’s health have been shaped by silence, stigma and systems that weren’t built with us in mind. However, there is a growing movement to reclaim these conversations with honesty, cultural relevance and truth.
This panel brings together voices across sectors, community leaders, advocates and live experience — to explore how we move from silence to ownership. Through storytelling and reflection, this panel explores how stigma shows up, how trust is built and how individuals move from uncertainty to empowerment in their health journeys.
The format: 2-minute executive welcome remarks, followed by a moderated panel discussion, followed by a 1-song performance by Tamar Braxton.
Opening remarks:
Rashad Burgess, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at Gilead Sciences
Moderator:
Dr. Toyin Nwafor, Executive Director for U.S. HIV Medical Affairs at Gilead Sciences
Panelists
La’Deia Joyce, Marketing & Communications Strategist
Tamar Braxton, Grammy-nominated Singer
Amiyah Scott, Actress and Trans Activist
Dr. Karri Bryant, D. Min., M.Div., First Lady and Executive Pastor of Creative
Performance
Tamar Braxton

Category

🎈
Fun
Transcript
00:00Welcome to Sisters Say It Louder, Reclaiming Power, Pleasure, and Protection in Black Women's Health.
00:09To help us begin today's conversation, please welcome Rashad Burgess, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at Kiliad Sciences.
00:21Hello Essence! Hello Essence, how we doing? How we doing?
00:31Listen, I'm Rashad Burgess, I'm Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at Kiliad Science, and I am so excited to be
00:41here with you on today.
00:44First, I want to thank the Global Black Economic Forum and Essence Festival for creating this space.
00:52We are so proud to be partnering with GBF to bring this conversation.
00:58Listen, Essence has always been more than a festival.
01:04It is where our culture gathers.
01:07The truth is, it's a bit of our family reunion.
01:10It's where our voices carry and where the conversations that matter most can happen with honesty, joy, and power.
01:21And that is exactly why Gilead Sciences, we continue to show up here year after year after year, and we
01:30do so with intention.
01:34At Gilead, we believe you cannot advance health equity from a distance.
01:40You have to go where communities are, listen to lived experiences, invest where the need is greatest, and work alongside
01:51trusted partners to remove the barriers that are standing in the way of people and better health.
01:59And that matters because black women today continue to face disproportionate impacts from HIV, triple negative breast cancer, and so
02:12many other serious health conditions.
02:15Awareness, it's important, but awareness alone, it is not enough.
02:22Real progress means access.
02:27We got a bridge from awareness to access.
02:31It means trust.
02:33It means having the information, the support, having the confidence to make the decisions that are right for you.
02:43So today, today is about health, but it is also about power.
02:48The power, the power, the power to ask questions, the power to advocate for yourself, the power to protect your
02:57joy, protect your body, protect your future.
03:01To open our conversation, we want to share a story from Care for the Culture, Gilead's platform for elevating authentic
03:11voices and creating honest conversations about health and wellness.
03:17Because when we listen to communities, remove barriers, and move together, we do more than raise awareness.
03:26We multiply impact.
03:29Let's watch.
03:32Well, hey, stranger.
03:34Welcome home.
03:35Hey, ma.
03:40So, anyone new in the picture?
03:44Here and there.
03:45Nothing serious.
03:45As long as you're good, I'm good.
03:50Oh, I know that look.
03:52I'm going to get to the real tea later.
03:54Chill, auntie.
03:55Listen, I'm glad you're out there doing your thing.
03:58We definitely should chop it up about HIV and PrEP.
04:01PrEP is when you routinely take prescription medicine before you're exposed to HIV to help reduce your chance of getting
04:07it.
04:08And you know I'll roll with you to go talk to your health care provider and get tested when you're
04:12ready.
04:13It's about that time for my checkup, too.
04:15I got you.
04:16I'm here to help.
04:19Family, I have an announcement.
04:22I'm getting seconds.
04:24Come on, Dad.
04:24You're doing too much.
04:26Check on your people.
04:27Check out PrEP.
04:29Talk to a health care provider and visit carefortheculture.com.
04:38To guide today's conversation, please welcome Dr. Toyin Nawafor, Executive Director, U.S. HIV Medical Affairs at Kiliad Sciences.
04:50A physician and health equity advocate, Dr. Nawafor, is passionate about creating space for honest conversations, supporting informed decision-making,
05:02and advancing community-centered approaches to health and well-being.
05:07Please welcome Dr. Toyin Nawafor.
05:14Hello, everyone.
05:17Good afternoon, and welcome to today's panel, Sisters, Say It Louder, Reclaiming Power, Pleasure, and Protection in Black Women's Health.
05:30Thank you, Rashad, for setting the stage for today's conversation.
05:34We're here today to have a real conversation, you know?
05:38The conversation we have with your friends, your sisters, your aunties, and sometimes that's a little difficult to have,
05:44especially when we're talking about our health, when we're asking questions about our pleasure, about protecting ourselves.
05:52But our health deserves to be spoken out loud, and that's what we're going to do today.
06:00We're going to talk honestly about what it means when black women choose ourselves and out loud, despite of whatever
06:08stigma or setbacks we may face.
06:10It's important that we explore stories that shape how we think about our health, about our well-being, and our
06:19community, and how we heal.
06:21And we'll spend time talking about reclaiming our health, and about so much more than survival.
06:28We're going to talk about protection, about joy, confidence, and living fully.
06:35So let's meet our panelists, because we have a fantastic, great group of panelists for you today.
06:43So starting off is Amaya Scott.
06:50Amaya is an actress, author, and advocate whose work has helped expand, yes, visibility and representation.
07:02Yes, in black, trans women in media and culture.
07:09She's known for her honesty, confidence, and authenticity.
07:15And she continues to inspire around resilience, self-acceptance, and living out loud.
07:31Next, we have Ladea Joyce.
07:37Ladea is an HIV advocate, speaker, and storyteller who is using transparency and lived experience
07:49to challenge HIV stigma, while centering black women.
07:55Through storytelling and unapologetic truth-telling, she empowers women to take ownership of their own health journeys with confidence.
08:07Ladea Joyce.
08:10All right.
08:12Next, we have Tamar Braxton.
08:15Tamar is a Grammy-nominated singer, television personality, and advocate who uses her voice
08:36to spark honest conversations around HIV prevention and breast cancer awareness.
08:43She's a bold, beautiful force, and a fierce champion for women's health, Tamar Braxton.
08:53And we have Dr. Carrie Bryant.
09:01Dr. Bryant is a nationally recognized faith leader, pastor, scholar, and author whose work
09:12bridges community, faith, wellness, and women's empowerment.
09:18She's known for boldly encouraging women to live out boldly, care for themselves, and live
09:25with purpose and conviction.
09:27So, welcome, Dr. Bryant.
09:30And here we have a panelist.
09:33So, we're going to jump in, but before we jump in, I'd like you to do something with me
09:38before we get into our conversation.
09:40I want everyone here to do something with me together.
09:45This conversation is, sisters, say it louder, right?
09:50So, so much about what we're going to talk about today is about choosing ourselves out loud.
09:56So, I'm going to ask a few questions.
09:58And if it resonates with you, I want you to respond out loud, right?
10:04So, how many of you have ever left a question and asked when it came to your health?
10:10If that's you, say, I've been there.
10:14All right.
10:14All right.
10:15How many of you have ever put yourself last while taking care of everyone else?
10:21If it's you, say, I've done that.
10:24Oh, I see, I see hands in the audience.
10:27How many of you have ever encouraged a friend, a sister, an aunt, a mother, someone, a partner,
10:32to prioritize their health?
10:34If that's you, say, I have.
10:36I have.
10:37Right?
10:38We all have.
10:39And how many of you have ever needed a reminder that your health matters too?
10:44If that's you, say, I needed that.
10:48I needed that.
10:49That's right.
10:50Because every person in this room deserves to feel informed, empowered, and supported
10:57when it comes to their health.
10:59My health matters.
11:01So, I would love for us to all say together, my health matters.
11:07My health matters.
11:09A little louder.
11:11My health matters.
11:13All right.
11:14So, now, let's carry that same energy into this panel.
11:17So, let's get started.
11:20All right.
11:23All right.
11:24So, we just heard from the room, right, that the audience is telling us that this is something
11:30in so many black women experience, we know that people don't always prioritize themselves,
11:36and it can impact the kind of questions we ask when we seek health care.
11:41So, Amaya, I'm going to start with you.
11:45So, much of your story has centered around visibility, resilience, transformation, and living authentically
11:54out loud.
11:55So, what does it look like for trans women to fully prioritize their own health?
12:02So, I think as a trans person, to prioritize your health would be to have conversations
12:07like these, where we open up and we're able to break down stigmas and we're able to tackle
12:13the difficult topics that sometimes we stray away from.
12:16But I also think that being confident and moving through life with your head held high is the
12:21best thing to do, because especially in this day and age, people will try to tell you who
12:27you are.
12:28So, you have to confidently know.
12:36So, we got a jam session.
12:37Any time for that, though.
12:40You got to roll with it.
12:42You got to roll with it.
12:43All right, Amaya.
12:46So, I think as a trans person, to prioritize your health would be to be involved in these
12:52types of conversations.
12:53Sometimes we need to come together and we need to tackle the difficult topics to de-stigmatize
12:59them.
13:00And I also think that being confident and moving through life with your head held high, because
13:05in this day and age, people try to tell you who you are.
13:07So, you have to know and be secure in that.
13:10And I think that your authenticity and visibility will assist in all of those things.
13:15Absolutely.
13:18Yes.
13:18And, you know, you talked about living openly and with your authenticity.
13:23And what's important is that when people see that, when people see someone living out
13:27loud and authentic and living fully, it encourages someone else.
13:32It encourages people.
13:33It breaks the silence and helps to prioritize themselves.
13:36So, thank you so much for sharing.
13:39All right.
13:41So, you know, what we're hearing is that, you know, choosing yourself isn't always easy.
13:46And we don't always feel empowered to advocate for ourselves.
13:49We heard that from the audience.
13:51And that really has impact on our health as black women, right?
13:55I don't know if anyone, everyone in this audience knows this, but black women account
14:01for 50% or half of all the new HIV diagnosis among women in the United States, despite the fact
14:09that we only make up 13% of the population.
14:12So, again, half of those new diagnosis in women are in black women.
14:18So, this impacts us.
14:19But there's still a lot of stigma, there's still a lot of issues when it comes to HIV.
14:26And then black transgender women actually have the highest share of HIV diagnosis amongst transgender women.
14:32So, that tells us that these conversations are really important for us to move closer and closer to end the
14:39epidemic.
14:39So, with that, I'm going to move over to Ladea and ask you a question.
14:43I want to bring you to this conversation because you have challenged so many assumptions about HIV and intimacy and
14:52what it means to live fully and confidently.
14:54So, I'm going to ask you, Ladea, what does reclaiming pleasure and self-worth look like in your journey?
15:03Hello, hello.
15:03Is this thing on?
15:04Okay, it's on.
15:06Dr. T, I appreciate that question, but you say I challenge assumptions, right?
15:09So, let me challenge this assumption.
15:11Why do y'all think black women who were diagnosed with HIV got to reclaim pleasure and self-worth?
15:16Like we lost it.
15:18Just because I contracted HIV does not mean I know what pleasure is.
15:22It does not mean I know what self-worth means.
15:26I would say that because of stigma, I had to shift my perspective.
15:30Because during the course, I'll be 10 years diagnosed this September.
15:35So, my inner critic became louder than my inner coach.
15:39And so, because I'm taking the stigma that's been outside, internalized, and a lot of times that stigma is more
15:45detrimental than a stigma that's outside of myself.
15:49So, I had to shift my perspective because, baby, I was that girl before I was diagnosed and I'm still
15:53that girl.
15:54Okay?
15:55Yes.
15:58So, I would say it's not so much a reclaiming.
16:00I had to sit more into my coach and let my critic do what she was supposed to do.
16:05I had to feed the monsters.
16:07I appreciate her for doing what she did when I needed her.
16:10But in this space, I didn't need her.
16:11So, thank you how you served me.
16:13But at this point, I need more of my coach.
16:15I need their critic.
16:16And that helped me change my perspective.
16:17And let me know I didn't really have to reclaim.
16:19I just need to get back in, too.
16:21I had to lean in, too, and let myself know that I was worthy.
16:23I was deserving.
16:24And with the love and the pleasure and the self-worth that I've given out to other people, I can't
16:30demand that back to myself.
16:31So, yeah, that's how we did that.
16:33Yes.
16:34You dropped so many gems there.
16:36You were talking about it wasn't not just reclaiming.
16:40It's like owning it, right?
16:41And owning it and really being about yourself and self-care and self-worth and really living fully.
16:49So, again, the theme that we're hearing is that sometimes the inner critic and all of that, but really owning
16:55and owning your power.
16:57So, thank you so much.
16:58I'm going to move over to Tamar.
17:00Thank you so much.
17:35I'm going to move over to Tamar.
18:01I'm going to move over to Tamar.
18:01I got a lot of criticism, only because we were uneducated about how it was helpful for us, us meaning
18:08African-American females.
18:11And the reason being is because we are the infectees.
18:16We make up over 50%.
18:18Now, when I first started talking about PrEP, it was 47%.
18:22Now we are over 51% of infectees of HIV.
18:28And so the good thing about me speaking about PrEP is that I believe the stat was 4% when
18:37I first started talking about it.
18:39And now we're at 6%.
18:40So, we're making strides, small strides, but we're still going to celebrate our wins, right?
18:48But at the end of the day, we have to really have open conversations about protecting ourselves.
18:57And not just leaning on the understanding of our partners.
19:01Oh, we made a deal, so this is the deal.
19:03No, the deal is with me.
19:04Okay?
19:05And so I'm going to get on PrEP.
19:07And I'm going to make sure that I'm protected no matter what you're doing behind my back.
19:11I know that I'm going to sleep good at night because I've protected myself.
19:15That is, thank you.
19:18Because so often, right, so often it's about, well, what are people going to think and what's someone doing?
19:24But you bring up a great point because this is about you.
19:27And when we talk to, you know, with the audience and people talking about prioritizing themselves
19:31and how often have we needed to prioritize ourselves, that's so important, right?
19:36This is about you and protecting yourself.
19:39We've talked about pleasure and authenticity and all of that ties in really nicely.
19:44So thank you for sharing that.
19:45And I'm going to move over to Dr. Carey.
19:49And, you know, what we've heard, you know, Tema talked about the information and the lack of awareness
19:54and gaps in awareness is that information matters, right?
19:58Representation matters, right?
19:59People need to see themselves.
20:01But none of us are meant to navigate these decisions alone, right?
20:06And Dr. Carey, you know that many black women look to faith leaders, right?
20:11And community leaders and trusted spaces for guidance and support.
20:16So what role can these communities play in helping black women to feel more supported and informed
20:23and empowered to prioritize their health?
20:26Yeah.
20:27So first let me say that black women are deserving of safe spaces to be.
20:33Let's start there.
20:34We deserve to go to spaces where we are seen and where we are protected.
20:40From my own experience, community does not come out of osmosis.
20:45It comes because we are intentional about building it with each other, right?
20:50And so we all have a responsibility in doing that.
20:53And before I lean into what faith spaces can do, what I really want to lean into is what black
20:59women can do for other black women.
21:01The minute we become safe for each other, we create a model for how the world should then treat us.
21:08And so a part of that is when we are safe for each other, we are protected by each other,
21:13we feel good with each other.
21:15Tamar and I knew each other before.
21:17And these two incredible women, I've seen them online, but my first time meeting them was today.
21:23And each of them was warm, they were kind, they were safe, which said to me, I can show up
21:29as my full self in this space.
21:31And so when black women go out of their way to create these type of communities with each other, it
21:37may look different, it may sound different, but you create the community where you are so that you become a
21:44safe space for another black woman.
21:46When we do that first, we then teach churches how to do it, we teach the government how to do
21:52it, we teach larger community how to do it, and then we model what that looks like for the world.
21:58So we are our first safe space first.
22:01After that comes everybody else.
22:03That's why that passed the lovely chat.
22:08That was excellent.
22:10And you talked about the importance of those safe spaces, and just like really having those conversations in a way
22:17that is open.
22:17We talked about how difficult it is sometimes to have these conversations, especially when it comes to pleasure and choosing
22:24ourselves, and sometimes making to feel that being, you know, prioritizing yourself is selfish.
22:32And what you're saying, all of you, is that we need to be able to have these conversations and have
22:37these open spaces.
22:38So I think we have time for one more question before we start to round up.
22:43That question is, what would it look like for a place where, a time where, you know, maybe you've had
22:51to choose yourself first, and it kind of felt like maybe it was selfish, but it ended up being a
22:56good thing.
22:56And what would it look like if we helped another woman, like you said, to prioritize herself?
23:02How could that look?
23:04Everybody don't start talking at the same time.
23:06But I would say for me, it came at the time I was diagnosed.
23:11Because I didn't know what this diagnosis was going to look like.
23:13I didn't know what the drug regimen looked like.
23:15I didn't know what the, you know, the illness would look like.
23:18At that moment, I had to lean into being, I call it being self-ful.
23:21I don't believe it's a such thing as being selfish when it comes to you.
23:25I had to call back in the love, the time, the talent, the intent that I had sold into other
23:30people.
23:30I had to get it back.
23:32And I, because at that point, I'm my most vulnerable self transversing this new diagnosis.
23:37So I needed my community, and I did not have anything to give.
23:41So it looked like me standing on my boundaries, standing flat-footed down about myself and my business,
23:47and being firm about my knowing what I could and could not accept.
23:50Because I was going to something I did not know anything about, but I knew I needed my community.
23:55Because so many times we say, they didn't help me.
23:57But sister, did you tell them that you needed help?
23:59Right.
24:00Did you open your mouth and say, I don't know what support looks like, but I know I'm going to
24:03need y'all's support.
24:04Y'all going to have to figure it out, but I need y'all to pull on up and pull
24:07on through.
24:07So that's the time, like 10 years ago, and I've done that so many times.
24:11I stand in that because I know who I am as a person, a woman, a daughter, a sister, a
24:16friend.
24:16So I know I'm a good, damn good person to other people.
24:20So it's nothing for me to call it back in.
24:22So that's something that I had to do, and I continue to do that, and I inspire.
24:25Or, you know, tell women to do that for yourself.
24:27Because you ain't supposed to be strong.
24:30No.
24:30Right.
24:30You're a woman of strength, but you're not supposed to be strong.
24:33That's right.
24:33Take the cape off, sis, and let somebody help you.
24:35Hello.
24:36Right.
24:36Oh, gosh.
24:37You had so, right?
24:39Thank you, audience.
24:41That was, that was, that was, you talked about your time, your talent, your treasures.
24:46You talked about your boundaries.
24:48You talked about all of these things pouring into other people and actually asking for help
24:53as a sign of strength, not weakness.
24:56All of those things are important.
24:58And I love something you said.
24:59I don't know if you guys caught it.
25:00You said self-ful.
25:02Right?
25:02We always talk about selfish and all of that stuff.
25:05Self-ful, right?
25:06Self-worth and really prioritizing ourselves, right?
25:09Really, really important.
25:11So I think as we round up in our rapid fire, we have an audience with us.
25:17And women have told us, right, that there are times where they needed somebody to say,
25:21hey, prioritize your health.
25:23Look out for yourself.
25:24So I would like each of you, very rapid, to tell me if there's one thing a woman could
25:30take away from this audience and start to do tomorrow or today, what would be one thing
25:37that you hope someone could take away after this conversation today?
25:41And I'll start with you, Amaya.
25:42Amaya, so I would hope that someone would walk away from today and choose themselves, choose
25:48themselves authentically, be confident enough to be themselves.
25:52I think a lot of times, sometimes we're ashamed to be free, and we're doing ourselves
25:57a disservice.
25:58So when you leave out of here today, choose you, be proud of you, and keep going.
26:04That's okay.
26:06Choose you.
26:11I would say put yourself back in the center of your universe.
26:17Let everybody orbit around you for a second.
26:19It's okay.
26:20I promise you, it's more than okay.
26:24Take something, Tamar.
26:26Put yourself back at the center of your universe.
26:30You do and you do and you do, but you never ask, but you don't give yourself the opportunity
26:33to receive.
26:35Leave out of here learning how to put yourself back in the center.
26:38Baby, if you can't get to it, it really probably don't need to be done.
26:42But also, a way gonna be made when you put yourself back in your rightful place.
26:47God, then you, then everybody else gonna, you know, have to orbit around.
26:50Right.
26:50Because if you're not good for you, you can't, if you out of place, you can't be good for
26:54nobody else.
26:55Oh, that blessed me.
26:57Yes.
26:57First of all, I just want to say thank you guys because, you know, I just want to speak
27:01for the people who don't always feel strong and don't always feel, you know, like they
27:06have that self-worth and self-love, right?
27:09And sometimes we need to surround ourselves with women who have that so that can rub off
27:15on you, you know?
27:16You know, I mean, sometimes you walk in the room, sometimes being half full, not even
27:20all the way there, right?
27:22But once you be around strong women, you get that extra help and that extra love and extra
27:29confidence.
27:29And so just, I just want to speak to the people who feel like, I don't feel like it.
27:35I don't have it.
27:37But find you some women who do.
27:39And then once you start being around them, you'll start feeling more comfortable and
27:44more confident and you'll walk into the purpose of your own life.
27:49So I just wanted to say that.
27:51Oh, thank you.
27:52That was so good.
27:53Yes.
27:54So I would just offer one of my favorite passages of scripture is to love your neighbor as you
27:59love yourself.
28:00And so that means that you have to love yourself first before you can love anybody else.
28:07And the minute you start loving yourself, your surroundings look different, your relationships
28:12look different, your environment looks different.
28:15And so that would be what I would want you to take away.
28:18Spend time loving yourself so that you are then able to show up in the world in a way where
28:24you can love other people as well.
28:26We always know when we don't love ourselves because it comes out in how you speak.
28:31It comes out in how you engage other people.
28:33It comes out in how you show up.
28:35But you know when a woman loves herself, not out of ego, but out of genuine understanding
28:41of who she is and what she was created to be because she then shares that love with everybody
28:47else.
28:48All right.
28:49Absolutely.
28:50Thank you so much.
28:51So we heard choose you, choose yourself, put yourself in the center of the orbit and let
28:59people spin around you.
29:01We talked about being around other women and strong women.
29:04And if you need to borrow confidence, do it and share.
29:07And we talked about love yourself like you love your neighbors because that's going to
29:11be.
29:11So thank you so much.
29:12And again, you know, we've told like you are the star of your own story.
29:16You're not playing back up.
29:19You're not like, you know, understudy.
29:22You are the star.
29:23And selfish is not.
29:26Self-care is necessary.
29:28It's not optional.
29:29So with that, our time is off.
29:31I'd like to thank our amazing panelists for their time.
29:37And, you know, I just hope that everyone really takes those lessons and thinks about it, that
29:43self-care is not selfish.
29:44We need to prioritize ourselves.
29:46And what I would challenge us to do is take one step this week, right?
29:50We're heading back into the work week.
29:53Schedule a screening, right?
29:55Ask a question about your health.
29:57Start a conversation.
29:58And if you're already good on all that, you're the person who's done all that, ask your friend,
30:04your sister, your mom, your aunt.
30:07Have them schedule a screening.
30:09Start a conversation.
30:10And really start to prioritize our own health.
30:13Because our health matters.
30:16So thank you so much for joining us.
30:18And with that, we're going to, that's the end of our panel.
30:22So thank you.
30:27Thank you for joining us for Sisters Say It Louder, reclaiming power, pleasure, and protection
30:34in black women's health.
30:36Through partnerships and community collaboration, Gilead remains committed to supporting open,
30:43affirming conversations around prevention, care, and self-advocacy.
30:48Visit carefortheculture.com for stories, resources, and tools that can help you take the next step
30:58in your own health journey.
31:00Stand by for a special musical performance from Tamar Braxton.
31:06Stand by for a special musical performance from Tamar Braxton.
31:06Stand by for a special musical performance from Tamar Braxton.
31:08Stand by for a special musical performance from Tamar Braxton.
31:10Stand by for a special musical performance from Tamar Braxton.
31:11Stand by for a special musical performance from Tamar Braxton.
31:12Stand by for a special musical performance from Tamar Braxton.
31:12Stand by for a special musical performance from Tamar Braxton.
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