Research — ZAMI NOBLA

ZAMI NOBLA’s Community-Action Participatory Research & Publications

Since 2014 in partnership with Dr. Tonia Poteat, Associate Professor in the Department of Social Medicine at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, ZAMI NOBLA has conducted formative qualitative research with Black lesbians ages 40 years and older in metropolitan Atlanta and across the country focusing on aging, breast cancer and COVID-19 (in process).

Exploring pathways to successful aging among older black lesbians and sexual minority women: A focus on life satisfaction and intersectional factors

Authors: Porsha Hall, Barbara C. Wallace, & Mary Anne Adams

Satisfaction with life is a core aspect of successful aging, which is influenced by a broad range of factors, including health, socioeconomic status, and social relationships.

Black lesbians experience various social challenges, including racism, sexism, ageism, and heterosexualism, that may present as deterrents to aging successfully.

To develop better policies and programs in support of successful aging among all adults, an understanding of the unique components associated with their intersecting identities must be explored.

This study was carried out to gain a better understanding of how Black lesbians and other Black sexual minority women (BSMW) view successful aging within the context of life satisfaction.

Caregiving Among Older Black Same-Gender-Loving Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic:
Findings From Qualitative Research

Authors

Tonia Poteat, PhD, MPH, PA-C
Porsha Hall, EdD, MPH, MA
Mary Anne Adams, MSW
Dipa Sharma Gautam, MA
Robynn Ashenden, BS
Jennifer Horn, MSW

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Few data on caregiving during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic use an intersectional lens to attend to how multiple social categories, such as gender, age, race, and sexual orientation, shape caregiving experiences. This analysis sought to explore caregiving experiences of aging Black same-gender-loving women.

Research Design and Methods: Sixteen focus groups were conducted with 4–8 participants each (N = 102) from across the United States. Audio-recorded discussions lasted for approximately 90 min and were transcribed verbatim. Two analysts coded transcripts for discussions related to caregiving and used content analysis to identify themes.

Results: Participants engaged in caregiving for children, parents, family, friends, and neighbors. They provided physical, economical, instrumental, and/or secondary caregiving; and sometimes received care themselves. The pandemic heavily affected their stress level and mental health as well as their intimate partner relationships. Discussions mostly offered descriptions of increased caregiving difficulty caused by the pandemic. However, a few participants identified ways the pandemic made caregiving easier; changed caregiving without making it easier or harder; or thwarted their ability to provide care.

Discussion and Implications: Older Black same-gender-loving women described some pandemic caregiving experiences that diverged from the existing literature, demonstrating the importance of considering how gender, race, age, and sexual orientation affect caregiving experiences during a pandemic fraught with health inequities. Ensuring the multiply marginalized caregivers have access to the practical and emotional support they need is critical for advancing health equity and preparing for future pandemics.

Creating Havens for Black Lesbian Elders during COVID-19

Black lesbians experience more adverse health outcomes and economic insecurity in older age than their White counterparts due to enduring a lifetime of marginalization associated with the intersections of race, gender, and sexual orientation.

Yet, there is a lack of organizations dedicated to empowering and supporting this population.

ZAMI NOBLA (National Organization of Black Lesbians on Aging) is the only Black lesbian led national organization in the United States solely invested in improving the wellbeing of Black lesbian elders.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, they worked in solidarity with community partners across the country to leverage technological innovation and community solidarity to combat ageist ideology and elevate the spaces in which Black lesbians and their networks were able to learn, heal, thrive, and live.

The organization’s efforts fostered solidarity across generations of lesbians and the wider LGBTQ + community.

Porsha Hall & Mary Anne Adams (2023) Creating havens for Black lesbian elders during COVID-19, Journal of Lesbian Studies, DOI: 10.1080/10894160.2023.2236440

Please use this link to download the entire article at no cost:

https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/56SK9G9GVTAT33AF3UTW/full?target=10.1080/10894160.2023.2236440

Older Black Lesbians’ Needs and Expectations in Relation to Long-Term Care Facility Use

AUTHORS:

Mekiayla Singleton (Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA)
Mary Anne Adams (ZAMI NOBLA: National Organization of Black Lesbians on Aging, Atlanta, GA 30364, USA)
Tonia Poteat (Department of Social Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA)

Abstract

There is a dearth of long-term care research that focuses on the expectations and experiences of older sexual minority (SM) adults. That research dwindles further when examining subgroups within that population such as older Black lesbians.

The purpose of this study was to explore older Black lesbians’ needs and expectations in relation to the utilization of long-term care (LTC) facilities.

We conducted secondary data analysis using data from 14 focus groups that discussed health and aging with older Black lesbians. Transcriptions were analyzed in NVivo using deductive content analysis and structural coding.

Three themes were identified in relation to needs and expectations for LTC facility use: (1) consideration or established plans to utilize a LTC facility, (2) concern for care facility environment, and (3) a desire to build one’s own community.

These findings illustrate how older Black lesbians are planning for a potential need for LTC, their concerns about utilizing LTC, and alternative approaches to avoid LTC use.

There remains a continued need for LTC communities that are inclusive and supportive of SM older adults as well as more SM-only communities where older adults can live openly and authentically.

ZAMI NOBLA in partnership with Dr. Tonia Poteat at UNC-Chapel Hill recently completed data collection on our primary research,
“Meeting the Pandemic Needs of Older Sexual Minority Women.”

The above video highlights some of our demographic findings. We will release more qualitative and quantitative findings as we complete analysis.

Age

369 Women completed our online survey with an Age Range of 50-85.

Ethnicity

38.8% Black or African American

50.9% White

1.1% Asian

2.4% Latina/Hispanic

1.1% American Indian or Alaska Native

4.1% Multi-racial

0.8% Another race

Sexual orientation

80.5% Lesbian

2.4% Gay

6.5% Bisexual

6.5% Queer

1.9% Pansexual

1.9% Another identity

Education

0.3% Less than 9th grade

22.0% Completed high school (received diploma or GED)

13.8% Some college

4.3% Associate’s degree

20.3% Completed college or bachelor's degree

4.1% Technical or vocational school

5.7% Some graduate school

26.8% Masters Degree

9.2% Doctoral Degree

6.2% Professional Degree (e.g. MD, JD)

Sources of income include Social Security Disability Income (SSDI)

6.0%

Type of area

22.0% Rural area

22. 0% Small city or town

38.5% Large urban city

18.4% Medium urban city

15.2% Suburban area

“And that visibility which makes us most vulnerable is that which also is the source of our greatest strength.

Audre Lorde

PUBLICATIONS

Dean L, Greene N, Adams MA, Geffen S, Malone J, Tredway K, Poteat T. Beyond Black and White: Race and Sexual Identity as Contributors to Healthcare System Distrust after Breast Cancer Screening among US Women. Psycho-Oncology. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.5670. PMID: 33689190

Malone J, Snguon S, Dean LT, Adams MA, Poteat, T. Breast Cancer Screening and Care Among Black Sexual Minority Women: A Scoping Review of the Literature from 1990 to 2017. 10 Dec 2019. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2018.7127.

Greene N,*ƚ Malone J, Adams MA, Dean LT, Poteat T. Exploring healthcare provider interactions in breast cancer screening and care among Black sexual minority women. 2019 American Public Health Association Conference. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: November 3, 2019.

Adams MA, Poteat T. Interventions for Healthy Aging Among Mature Black Lesbians: Recommendations Gathered through Community-based Research. Southern Gerontological Society; Miramar Beach, Florida: April 13, 2019.

Adams MA, Poteat T, Understanding the Health Needs of Aging Black Lesbians; 6th Annual Out on the Hill Black LGBT Leadership Summit: A Focus on Health and Wellness of Our Community. Washington, District of Columbia. September 18, 2015.

From 2014-15, ZAMI NOBLA partnered with Georgia State University School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins School of Public Health to conduct qualitative research on the health care needs of aging Black lesbians (Seelman, Adams, and Poteat, Journal of Women and Aging, 2017).

Building on that successful partnership and looking toward addressing life-threatening disparities, we partnered with Hopkins again and are currently analyzing data from our recently completed mixed-methods study of barriers to and facilitators of engagement in cancer care for Black sexual minority women; and are currently collecting data about the impact of the COVID- 19 pandemic on Black sexual minority women ages 40 years and older.

Greene, N, Malone, J, Adams, MA, Dean, LT, Poteat, T. “This is some mess right here”: Exploring interactions between Black sexual minority women and health care providers for breast cancer screening and care. Cancer. 2020. https://www.doi.org/10.1002/cncr.33219. PMID: 32990978

Seelman KL, Adams MA, Poteat T. Interventions for Healthy Aging Among Mature Black Lesbians: Recommendations Gathered through Community-Based Research. Journal of Women and Aging, 2017, 29(6):530-542.

Adams MA and Poteat T. ZAMI NOBLA: Preserving History and Fostering Wellness in Black Lesbians. Generations: Journal of the American Society on Aging, 2016, 40(2): 80-82.

*Awarded the Walter J. Lear Award from the American Public Health Association LGBT Caucus. Poteat T, Adams MA, Malone J, Dean L. Engaging Black Sexual Minority Women in Breast Cancer Research: Lessons in Community Partnerships. 37thGLMA Annual Conference on LGBT Health. New Orleans, Louisiana: September 12, 2019.

Poteat T, Adams MA. “I just don’t do doctors”: Understanding the Health Needs of Aging Black Lesbians; Healthy Aging Summit. Washington, District of Columbia. July 28, 2015.

2020-2021 Meeting the Pandemic Needs of Black Lesbians, Urgent Action Fund, Southerners on New Ground Role: Co-PI ($1,500) ($3,500)

2017-2019 A Mixed-Methods Approach to Identify Intervenable Factors Associated with Breast Cancer Screening and Follow-up for Black Sexual Minority Women, Johns Hopkins Faculty Innovation Cancer Prevention Fund, MPI: Dean/Poteat, Role: Community Research Investigator ($54,000)