• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Clinical Trials Resource Center
    • Wellness on the Yard
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Covid Resource Center
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / Health Conditions / STDs / Raising Empowered Girls: Talk Early, Talk Often

Raising Empowered Girls: Talk Early, Talk Often

African american mother daughter talking

“Ewww! What’s that?!,” a seventh grade girl remarked as she picked up a hygiene product out of her gift bag at the conclusion of an Assist Her, Inc. workshop. The other young ladies quickly responded with street vernacular on the purpose of the product and how to use it. Some of their talk was based on personal experiences and some from mere hearsay. When I corrected them about the appropriate terms to represent a girl’s reproductive organs, all of the girls began to moan and groan loudly about the conversation being “gross,” “nasty” and inappropriate to discuss.

READ: Top 10 Myths About Sexual Health For Teens

While reflecting on this situation, a few things came to mind. The first is that there are entirely too many young girls who are not knowledgeable about their bodies from a sexual health and responsibility perspective. Also, it is painfully obvious that conversations are not occurring between girls and their female caretakers. A female caretaker is not always the biological mother, but could be an older sister, aunt, grandmother, etc. This may be the first woman charged with the duty of ensuring that an emerging young woman knows how to properly care for her body, is prepped for the introduction of a menses and knows the implication of her period on future sexual practices.

READ: How To Talk To Your Child About Sex

March 10 is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention,  1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV. Of those people, one in four (25%) is a woman 13 or older. Approximately 27,000 women have HIV but do not know they have the disease. If current trends continue, 1 in 32 black women will be infected with HIV in their lifetimes.

Take a stand against these statistics and engage in the following activities:

You May Also Like
View Our Resources To Better Understand How Clinical Trials May Help Advance Research
  • Start having conversations with girls about their body parts as young as two years old.
  • Discuss the arrival of a menstrual cycle and what it represents i.e., the ability to get pregnant.
  • Encourage sexually active girls to have annual gynecological exams.
  • Promote abstinence and/or safer sex practices i.e., condoms.
  • Discuss what sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are and how they’re treated.

READ: Black Teens & HIV

It’s a fact that every woman was a girl first. Some of us had guidance, others were forced to learn by trial and error. A lot of women have made poor choices whether through naivety or a simple “fall from grace,” to make a decision in the heat of the moment that could have been deadly. Girls and women have found themselves pregnant, infected with STIs, or living with HIV/AIDS because they were ignorant to the facts of life.

READ: Why Sex Education Also Belongs In The Home

Don’t forget to ask YOURSELF:

1. What messages and information about sex were given to me?
2. What did my mother tell me about sex?
3. What did my father tell me about sex?
4. What were some of the myths or misunderstandings I had about sex?
5. What do I wish I had known then that I know now?
6. Did those misunderstandings ever put me at risk?

This is where the conversation begins. Start talking…

Visit the BlackDoctor.org STDs center for more.

Samantha ColemanSamantha Coleman, M.A., LPC, is an award-winning visionary leader, educator and counselor who has made it her life’s work to provide young women the tools and resources they need in order to be fully empowered and game changers of the new millennium. As the founder and Executive Director of Assist Her, Inc., an Illinois non-profit organization that provides prevention, literacy, and mentoring programs to girls ages 10-18, Coleman has serviced over 2,000 females in the Chicagoland area since 2005. Follow her on Twitter @SC_WTBillboard.

You May Also Like
13 Signs You Need to See a Dermatologist

March 10, 2014 by Samantha Coleman, M.A., LPC

Read Next Article

The Latest In STDs

Signs You May Have an STD (and Not Know It)

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can be a cause for concern, especially when symptoms are hard to recognize. While some people experience symptoms of an infection, like discharge, burning, or itching in the genital area, other people can have a sexually read more about Signs You May Have an STD (and Not Know It)
untreated STDs

Don’t Ignore This! Long-term Effects of Untreated STDs

When it comes to STDs, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) offers an alarming statistic - one in five Americans has an STD. That equates to almost 70 million people, nearly half of whom will be between the read more about Don’t Ignore This! Long-term Effects of Untreated STDs

4 STDs You Can Get Without Making Love

Believe it or not, contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD) can be as simple as shaking hands. That’s right, some infections can be transmitted in ways other than sexual contact. So how does one get an STD without having sex? read more about 4 STDs You Can Get Without Making Love
blood sample test tube

Most Commonly Misdiagnosed STDs

Even if you are with one partner, you can be at risk for a sexually transmitted disease (STD or infection (STI). If you are using condoms, they do not protect you 100% against all STIs. According to the Journal of read more about Most Commonly Misdiagnosed STDs
Brazilian wax

Wax Off? Brazilian Waxing Linked To Higher STD Risk

Getting a Brazilian wax or participating in similar forms of personal grooming may be all the rage, but they come with a heightened risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease, research suggests. The study found that frequent groomers of pubic read more about Wax Off? Brazilian Waxing Linked To Higher STD Risk
young woman sitting on a bed with young man sleeping beside her

Is Oral Sex Safer Than Vaginal Sex?

When it comes to the act of sex, many people classify oral sex as a performance in a category all its own that seems to float above the hazards that vaginal and anal sex pose.  However, whether one views oral read more about Is Oral Sex Safer Than Vaginal Sex?

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

  • Lionel Richie Shares His Top 3 ‘Anti-Aging Secrets’Lionel Richie Shares His Top 3 ‘Anti-Aging Secrets’
  • Angela Bassett 7-Year Journey to Parenthood: Enjoy the JourneyAngela Bassett 7-Year Journey to Parenthood: Enjoy the Journey
  • ‘COVID Toes’ Might Be a Sign You Had the Disease'COVID Toes' Might Be a Sign You Had the Disease
  • YouTuber and Relationship ‘Expert’ Kevin Samuels Cause of Death RevealedYouTuber and Relationship 'Expert' Kevin Samuels Cause of Death Revealed
  • Football Legend & Coach Deion Sanders Has Toes AmputatedFootball Legend & Coach Deion Sanders Has Toes Amputated

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2023, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.