5 Women Who are Revolutionizing Health

By: Luna Ly

From maternal and child health care to reproductive justice, women are one of the most visible communities our health care system fails.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we are celebrating five #WomenWarriors who are changing the health system for the better, by seeking justice and equitable health care while drawing connections to important sociocultural issues.

Monica Simpson

Monica Simpson is the Executive Director of SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, the organization that founded the term Reproductive Justice and works to increase access to reproductive rights through institutionalized systems and policies. Simpson is queer, black, an artist, activist, and certified doula who fights against human rights abuses and systemic violence against the LGBTQ community and black women.

Simpson also writes for Rewire News on how our health and political system must consistently center marginalized voices to ensure our communities thrive, rather than just survive.

Twitter: @monicarsimpson

Cara James

We’ve never lived in a world where health equity was the norm — and Cara James is at the forefront of crafting and integrating unique health policies, advocacy organizations, and individuals to revamp our health system in the United States.

James has spent her career working to address health issues and health care access issues for racial and ethnic minorities and other underserved populations.

“Within CMS OMH, our vision is to have all CMS beneficiaries achieve their highest level of health, which is the definition of health equity. That means instead of giving everyone the same thing, we give people what they need, which may differ from one person to the next.”

Today, Cara James serves as the Director of the Office of Minority Health at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Victoria Tauli-Corpuz

Victoria Tauli-Corpuz is a fearless Pilipina advocate demanding an end to human rights abuses against indigenous people in the Philippines. At the end of 2018, Tauli-Corpuz repeatedly asked the government to stop discriminating and end abuses against the indigenous community in the Philippines, especially when it came to violating people’s health rights. At a time where violence, oppression, and repression are rampant in the Philippines, Tauli Corpuz actively intervenes, calling the government into question.

Tauli-Corpuz serves as a United Nations special rapporteur, traveling with a small suitcase of her belongings, and continues to advocate for global women, immigrant, and health rights.

Twitter: @VTauliCorpuz

Annie Segarra

Artist and activist Annie Segarra (also known as Annie Elainey) is focused on making the world more accessible. After the Women’s March in 2017, Segarra created the t-shirt , “The Future is Accessible” to amplify the disability community voice and draw connections that attend to mental health, body image positivity, chronic illness, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ issues.

Segarra made sure to share her Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) diagnosis publicly, which brought in comments of solidarity from folks all over the US who are living with undiagnosed chronic illnesses. Through her intersectional lens, Segarra is truly setting the pace for policymakers to realize how interconnected health is to everyone’s identities and draft policies that reflect this individualized attention to health.

Twitter: @annieelainey

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal‏

In the early 2000s, when Pramila Jayapal was suddenly experiencing complications with her pregnancy in India, she was flown to Mumbai to give birth to her son, receiving treatment that only folks who had certain means could afford. That was a catalytic moment for Congresswoman Jayapal who then returned to the U.S. with a focus to revamp our healthcare system.

After holding office for 25 days, Jayapal drove furiously (and safely — to protect the health and safety of drivers and pedestrians) to Seattle International Airport to block Trump-ordered deportations. She saw that progressive voices weren’t being heard and action wasn’t being taken against immigrant deportations, so she raised her voice to fight back.

Jayapal was the first Asian American elected to represent Washington, the first Indian American woman to serve in the House of Representatives, and the district’s first female member of Congress. In a constant push-pull and reevaluate fashion, Jayapal’s immigrant experiences shape her progressive policies, especially in the health sphere where she seeks to legislate health care for all.

Twitter: @RepJayapal