RADICAL IMAGINATION

Intersectional oppression and invisibility are primary drivers of cognitive and mental health disparities which affect Black women’s wellness. Older Black women additionally experience compounding effects of ageism, which may place them at increased risk. To date, limited strengths-based, culturally relevant programming has focused on aging Black women. Fewer have incorporated Black women elders into conversations on Black liberation and the transformational change needed to create possible futures rooted in equity, healing, and health.

 

To address these gaps, Dr. Hill-Jarrett developed Radical Imagination, a creative aging program for Black women in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over ten weeks Black women participate in the program which incorporates brain and mental health education, art-making, storytelling, and photography. Grounded in principles of Afrofuturism and radical healing, participants explored past narratives of Black women and created a collective vision for a future centering Black women’s needs.

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Below is an overview of some of the activities we engage in as a group in collaboration with the Dr. George Davis Center/Bayview Senior Services. You can see our Afrofuturism photoshoot here.