This anthology will be a collection of stories about the National Black Women’s Health Project aka “The Project”. It will document the influence and lasting impact of The Project on the women who not just experienced what would come to be known as 'the magic' but also made it real to millions of others. It will act as a cornerstone in building an accurate account of how Black women paved the way for our post-Civil Rights era activism and movement building. It will further serve to validate the beginnings of organizational development showing Black women coming together crystalizing the collective power dynamics that we saw hints of within the male-dominated, but Black women led, Black Panther Party community work.  For women who were searching for healing and the magic of sisterhood it became a beacon. Its purpose is to acknowledge and celebrate The Project’s influence not only on the women who participated, but also Black women who have existentially benefited from its existence. This is a story that needs to be told.

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The legacy of the National Black Women’s Health Project (NBWHP) is well known and when someone says: “The Project'', anyone who knows NBWHP, recognizes it as what is being referenced. The Project’s vision of “Empowerment through Wellness'' was a clarion call to Black women. The Project was formed to address the need for a space where Black women worked within the framework of being Black women. NBWHP was a space where we could be safe. It offered an atmosphere where we had the freedom to learn to heal. The harmony of “intra-diversity” buzzed, and the energy was heady. It was a space for women to be their authentic selves. There was an interconnectedness rooted in love for Black women.  There was magic… and of course, the magic was doing the work.

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The empowerment of Black women was the intent of NBWHP, understanding that wellness for Black women was more than the absence of disease or illness. And if Black women were provided the tools, she could figure out her own “stuff.” In turn, NBWHP became trailblazers of what is now colloquial: Black Girl Magic, Safe Spaces, Self-Care (Wellness), Work-Life Balance, Empowerment, and Harmonizing diversity.

        

• This is not a white paper, research project, or think piece. These are our stories,

• The goal is to amplify and further document the magic of Black women, the women who drafted the change that we see in conversations around Black women’s health in the world,

• How Black women work in the framework of Black women.

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