The Young Advisory Leadership Council

The Young Advisory Leadership Council (YALC) is a group of Black women ages 18 to 45 who actively collaborate to expand RSP’s initiatives. Members of YALC are located nationally and bring a diverse set of skills and knowledge to raise awareness about women’s reproductive rights, as well as the various social conditions that impact reproductive health.

We encourage Black women interested in learning more about RSP’s mission, creating programming and presentations regarding reproductive health and rights, and networking in the women’s health field to connect with us. For more details on how to apply for this volunteer opportunity, please contact info@rsphealth.org.

Meet the YALC Members

Israa Busch

Jaimy Jean-Noel

Courtney Louis

Dallas Peoples

Abigail Penalver

Kim Perez-Gibbons

Donielle Rouse

Joanne Suarez

Zakiah Whittaker

Front Porch Insights

Written articles by YALC and Partners of RSP

In their efforts to increase awareness around issues of reproductive health and associated burden, YALC created a blog called “Front Porch Insights.” The blog acts as a tool to give voice to their peers as well as a resource for Black women seeking relevant information for their reproductive health and rights. To that end, they aim to have a community of interested readers—whom we hope will engage and contribute their ideas, suggestions, and questions.

Not Everything that Glitters is Gold

Imagine you’re getting ready for a concert. You do your regular makeup routine but decide to add glitter for a little extra pizazz. To match the glitter on your face, you strap on some glittery boots to bring your outfit to the next level. Then, every day for the next week, you find specks of…

Championing for Change: An Influencer’s Fight for Her Own Reproductive Health

By Paige Feyock

“If we have so much shame and stigma about these health issues, how do we talk about them and notice a pattern? How do we know what signs to look out for? How can we properly advocate for ourselves?” – Latoya Shauntay Snell Latoya Shauntay Snell is a chef, ultrarunner, and social justice advocate from…

Addressing Period Poverty in Our Communities

By Sophia Cassim

Many of us have had a moment when we realize it is “that time of the month” while at work or in class, and we feel relieved to find a spare pad or tampon at the bottom of our bags. We may even have had a situation where we couldn’t find that spare and there…

You Are Not Alone in Your Uterine Fibroids Journey

By Nkem Osain

Nkem Osian, a member of Resilient Sisterhood Project’s Young Advisory Leadership Council, sat down with RSP for an interview recently about her journey with uterine fibroids. Uterine fibroids are noncancerous tumors that grow on the uterus and can cause prolonged menstrual periods, early labor, and miscarriages. The size of a fibroid varies from a small…

A Family History

By Maaza Seyoum

I was 37 years old when my mom died. Together, we shared a lifetime of experiences: birthdays, trips, and graduations. But now, a decade after her death, the two events that linger most vividly in my mind are the moment I watched her take her last breath and the day I found out that her…

Introducing Alliance for Healthy Tomorrow and Safer States

By Resilient Sisterhood Project

At RSP, we recognize the lack of general awareness and knowledge regarding the toxic chemicals found in many commonly used household and personal care products. A great majority of personal care products used primarily by black women can lead to adverse health outcomes, specifically in the area of reproductive health. In response to this concern,…

Spotlight on Black Maternal Health

By Quin Bottom-Johnson

In the US, women of African descent are affected by a significant number of diseases of the reproductive system – which are often under-diagnosed and under-treated. Furthermore, black women continue to face daunting health challenges in terms of pregnancy and childbirth. Black women are 243 percent more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than their…

Let’s Talk BRCA and The Angelina Effect

By Yassmina McDonald

The rate of BRCA testing increased after Angelina Jolie’s article in Time Magazine in 2013, which some labeled the Angelina Effect; however, the disparity among those who should be tested and the groups who are tested needs to be addressed. For many of us, our first introduction to the acronym BRCA occurred in 2013 when…

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