"Now You Get to See Me": Black Women Healthcare Professionals' Experiences in Sister Circles During the Double Pandemic.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the world through the necessity of mask mandates and stay-at-home orders, while marginalized communities continued to grapple with disproportionate outcomes of the pandemic due to systemic racism. Hence, some had to live in a double pandemic, such as minoritized healthcare professionals on the frontlines addressing the uncertainties of the health crisis. Importantly, Black women healthcare professionals relied upon sister circles as a mental health mechanism. Sister circles are support groups for and by Black women and are often informally formed within contexts such as education, work, and recreation. This qualitative study deepens the understanding of how during the double pandemic sister circles in the United States created a space for Black women healthcare professionals to support each other in managing stress, navigating workspaces, and sustaining their personal lives. Fifteen participants across different health professions, including nursing, social work, and therapy, participated in one-time interviews and focus groups to share their experiences as members of a sister circle. Four salient themes were: (1) mental health support, (2) mutual understanding, (3) guidance on how to engage in salary negotiations, and (4) professional knowledge. Additionally, the findings indicate that sister circles provided them a space for mental health support, rooted in mutual understanding, along with offering advice on salary negotiations and advancing their overall professional knowledge.

"You Have to Humanize Your feelings:" Black fathers' Reflections on How Youth Violence Prevention and Perpetration Influence Their Overall Health and Fathering Practices.

In Baton Rouge, LA, and nationally, youth violence is a serious public health problem affecting the lives of community members. Fortunately, Black fathers have responded to the urgent call to prevent youth violence in Louisiana. In 2021, the SUPPORT project was launched to unearth stories of Black fathers' prevention practices and interventions. Since relationships are embedded within and across various systems, the Social-Ecological Model for Violence Prevention was applied to a semi-structured interview approach to investigate two aims with 12 Black fathers from Baton Rouge: (1) how their experiences with youth violence influence their mental and social health, and their children's violence exposure, and (2) the benefits of addressing youth violence. Using Braun and Clarke's (2021) thematic analysis, the three major themes that emerged related to Black fathers' history with violence were: (1) self-reflexive moments on lessons learned, (2) the impacts of victimization and bullying, and (3) socioemotional responses to youth violence. Related to the second aim, the salutary impact on the neighborhood and improvement of the school community were the major themes that emerged regarding the perceived benefits of addressing youth violence. These findings demonstrate that interviewees are cognizant of how their history of violence led to maladaptive coping mechanisms in response to youth violence and influenced their fathering ideologies; moreover, they were concerned with familial betterment. Further research is needed to deepen understanding of how Black fathers' socioemotional responses to youth violence impact their wellness and fathering practices as their children mature.

"No filters needed . . .": A qualitative study exploring sister circles and workplace messages for Black women healthcare professionals during the double pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the experiences of Black women healthcare professionals during the pandemic in the United States, with a particular focus on those in sister circles. DESIGN: This is qualitative research with data from online survey results. METHODS: A qualitative survey was distributed through listservs and via social media from December 2021-April 2022. The qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic analysis to extract the themes. RESULTS: There were 69 respondents, primarily represented in hospitals, dentist offices, and mental health offices. The majority of respondents stated that they had one to three sister circles, with them primarily being formed online. The themes that arose from the meanings of membership in sister circles during the pandemic were (1) sister circles offered them a space to be sane and safe, (2) members received access to professional support, and (3) they are needed. As Black women healthcare professionals, the workplace messages they received were (1) either their workplace provided them with solidarity or (2) made them feel unsafe and undervalued. CONCLUSION: Sister circles provided these Black women healthcare professionals with a space of coping during the pandemic, as well as a site to respond to their workplace burnout.