Before you read the information in this issue, I want you to know something.
Your symptoms are real. Your exhaustion is real.Your instinct that something is wrong deserves to be taken seriously. Too many women in our communities have been dismissed, misdiagnosed, or told to push through pain that had a name all along.
May and June are packed with health awareness moments that speak directly to our communities. This issue, we go deep on two conditions that disproportionately affect women of color and rarely get the attention they deserve: lupus and multiple sclerosis. We are also honoring AAPI Heritage Month, maternal mental health, and the powerful freedom themes of June.
Pull up a chair. This one is for you.
With love and in solidarity,
Flower portrait
TEND · MS AWARENESS · WORLD MS DAY MAY 30
MS Is More Common in Black Women Than Doctors Think
What is MS?
MS is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks myelin, the protective coating of nerve fibers. MS is often called an "invisible illness" because symptoms like fatigue, numbness, and cognitive shifts are not always externally apparent.
The myth that needs to end!
Research debunks the myth that MS only affects white women; in fact, Black women face higher risks. A 2024 Neurology study shows Black and Hispanic women experience more advanced disease and unique pregnancy challenges, while 2025 research confirms Black patients face significant discrimination and inequitable access to care.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society notes that MS in Black patients often involves more severe balance, coordination, cognitive, and vision issues. With higher relapse rates and earlier disability onset, early detection and equitable, culturally responsive care are essential.y.
Ask your doctor: "Could these symptoms be related to a neurological condition? Can you refer me to a neurologist?"
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease where your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. It is not contagious and not your fault. Symptoms include fatigue, joint pain, rashes, and hair loss, often punctuated by flares where symptoms worsen.
Why this matters for our community
Lupus affects women of color at 2–3 times the rate of white women, who often face earlier onset and more severe complications. A 2025 study identified 33 high-priority solutions linked to social determinants of health—like income, housing, and access to care—that shape our outcomes. Tragically, provider bias continues to cause long delays in diagnosis for our community.
The Warning Signs
Unexplained fatigue · Joint pain or swelling · Butterfly-shaped rash across the nose and cheeks · Sensitivity to sunlight · Recurring fever
Ask your doctor: "Can we test for antinuclear antibodies (ANA)?"
ANA are proteins your immune system produces when it mistakenly attacks your own healthy cells, which is what the word autoimmune means. A simple blood test through your primary care physician (PCP) can detect them, and it is the standard first step when lupus is suspected. If results come back positive, ask for a referral to a rheumatologist, a specialist in autoimmune conditions who can confirm a diagnosis and manage your care.
Elegant Power: A Woman Embracing Her Strength and Serenity
Seeing the Full Picture of AAPI Women's Health
Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women are highly diverse, but their health needs are often overlooked due to the false "model minority" myth, which wrongly assumes all AAPI people are healthy and face no barriers.
Vietnamese and Hmong women have higher cervical cancer rates, while Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women experience some of the highest rates of chronic disease and maternal mortality. Mental health stigma in many AAPI communities also hinders help-seeking, especially among immigrant and refugee women.
Language access is a health equity issue.
Ask your clinic: "Do you offer interpretation services and written materials in multiple languages?"
Resource: National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum · napawf.org
GROW • IN COMMUNITY
Partner Spotlight
Meet Dr. LeeLee! Helping Mamas Feel Strong, Supported, and Like Themselves Again
If you have ever felt like your body was not your own after pregnancy, exhausted, in pain, disconnected, Dr. Lee Matthews-Carter, PT, DPT, RYT, RPYT, known in the community as Dr. LeeLee, built Mommaste Wellness specifically for you.
Dr. LeeLee is a licensed pelvic floor and orthopedic physical therapist, birth coach, prenatal and postnatal fitness specialist, registered yoga teacher, and certified doula based in Dayton, Ohio. She created Mommaste Wellness after recognizing a critical gap in prenatal care: most appointments focus on monitoring, but rarely teach mothers how to prepare their bodies and minds for what birth and postpartum recovery actually require.
Her signature method, Relax, Retrain, Return, starts by calming the body first, then rebuilding strength, so mamas can return to the activities they love without pain, leaking, or fear. Whether you are preparing for labor, recovering postpartum, or are years out and still experiencing symptoms, Dr. LeeLee meets you where you are.
Her services include pelvic floor and orthopedic therapy, push prep and labor preparation, prenatal yoga, postpartum recovery, birth doula support, childbirth education, and functional strength training. All available virtually, in-home, or in-office.
At HUES, we celebrate practitioners who center the whole woman. Dr. LeeLee's work is a powerful example of what culturally responsive, mama-centered care looks like in practice.
Maternal mental health is more than postpartum depression (PPD), though PPD affects up to 1 in 5 new mothers. It includes anxiety, PTSD from traumatic birth experiences, perinatal grief, and the emotional toll of navigating a healthcare system that does not always see you.
Maternal mental health conditions are the most common complication during pregnancy and the most underdiagnosed. The gaps in care fall hardest on women of color across the board.
Black women are more than twice as likely as white women to have unmet needs for perinatal treatment for depression or mental health counseling.
Indigenous women are three times more likely than white women to have unmet needs for perinatal mental health treatment.
Up to 40% of Latina and Hispanic women giving birth will experience a maternal mental health disorder.
Latina women are the least likely of all groups to be screened for postpartum mood and anxiety disorders.
Asian and Pacific Islander women face additional barriers, including language access gaps and cultural stigma that discourage help-seeking entirely.
These gaps are not accidental. They are the result of provider bias, a lack of culturally responsive care, and systems that were never designed with our communities in mind.
You are allowed to demand better. You are allowed to say, "I am not okay." "I need support." "This is harder than I expected." Those words are not weakness. They are wisdom.
PLANT · WHAT WE ARE BUILDING
Introducing Our Inaugural Summer Youth Health Justice Ambassador Program
Applications are open for our Summer 2026 cohort. Young people ages 14 to 18 from Greater Dayton are invited to join a free, hands-on health equity leadership experience. Participants will learn to read health data, design community campaigns, and use their voices as advocates. Funded by the Dayton Foundation & Aspire Dayton.
Know a young person who is ready?
Know a college student who loves working with youth?
Share this with them!
GATHER· WHAT WE GREW TOGETHER IN APRIL
Cultivating Wholeness: A Look Back
Funded by the Ohio Commission on Minority Health, our four-part Cultivating Wholeness series brought our community together throughout April to heal, connect, and build.
Sacred Ground opened the series by inviting women to ground themselves in their own stories, honoring cultural identity, ancestral knowledge, and the deep wisdom our bodies and communities carry.
Embodied Resilience explored the connection between body and healing through somatic movement, breathwork, and community conversation around bodily autonomy.
Healed Minds created space for honest dialogue about mental health in communities of color. We named the barriers, celebrated the breakthroughs, and affirmed that asking for help is a form of strength.
Wellness in Focus closed the series by asking: how do women define wellness and care after illness and changes to the body? Together, women identified resources, advocacy needs, and personal commitments for the months ahead.
Thank you to everyone who showed up.
ROOTED · IN HEALTH JUSTICE
Juneteenth (June 19) marks the announcement of emancipation to enslaved Africans in Texas in 1865. At HUES, we recognize that health equity cannot be separated from racial justice. Freedom includes the freedom to access care, to be believed by your provider, and to live in conditions that support your wellbeing.
HUES exists because your health, your story, and your life matter. We are not here to overwhelm you with what is broken. We are here to stand with you as we build something better, together.
HUES Women's Health Advocacy Institute is a 501c3 organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of women of color through health and wellness conversations, advocacy, research, and education.
