The Afiya Center (TAC)
Health Support for Black Women in North Texas
We are the only group in North Texas run by Black women that helps Black women and girls with their health.
We help Black women and girls take control of their health. We give them support, teach them what they need to know, and help them get care.
Get Involved →
The Health Problems Black Women Face
Black women in Texas have serious health problems that need fixing right now.
We started in 2008 because Black women in Texas were getting HIV at very high rates. They needed help. Over time, we grew to help with many kinds of health problems.
What is Reproductive Justice?
Reproductive Justice means you get to make your own choices about your body and your family. You can decide if you want to have kids or not. You can decide when to have them. You can raise your kids in a safe place.
Black women created this idea in 1994. They knew that health care connects to other problems like racism and poverty.
Health problems that hurt Black women most:
- Black women often go to hospitals that give worse care
- Racism affects Black women's bodies and makes pregnancy more dangerous
- Texas laws make it hard to get abortion care when women need it
- Many people judge women with HIV, so they don't get help
- Not enough doctors understand what Black women go through
How We Help
We help Black women in many ways. Black women created our programs. We know what Black women need because we listen to them.
✊ We Focus on Justice
We work on the reasons Black women have health problems in the first place
🤝 Community Leaders
Black women design our programs because they know what works
🎓 We Teach and Support
We give people safe spaces, teach them, and help them speak up for themselves
📢 We Fight Bad Laws
We work to change laws that hurt Black women and their families
Our name tells our story:
- "Afiya" means "women's health" in Swahili
- Our symbol means "change" or "transformation"
- Together, they show our goal: help Black women change their health for the better
What makes us different:
- We are the only group like this in North Texas run by Black women
- We understand trauma and help people heal
- We see how race, gender, and money all affect health
- We create safe spaces where Black women feel welcome
- We help Black women speak up in movements where others often take over
- We believe taking care of yourself fights back against systems that hurt Black people
Our Programs
Afiya Talks
We meet every two weeks. Black women talk about their lives. We read books by Black women writers and watch films together.
Learn More →Living Out Loud
A support group for Black women living with HIV. We share our stories. We fight the shame around HIV. We ask for better services.
Join Us →Young Black Women for Choice
Young Black women who speak up about abortion rights. They share their stories and help other women feel strong, not ashamed.
Get Involved →SMART
Sisters Mobilizing for Abortion Access and Reproductive Rights in Texas. We teach people about abortion laws and stop attacks on Black women.
Volunteer →Texas Black Women's Summit
Once a year, we bring together Black women and groups working on health. We share stories and make plans for change.
Attend →Doula Training
We train Black women to become doulas. Doulas help pregnant women before, during, and after birth. This saves lives.
Learn More →State of Black Women Report
We write reports about Black women's health in Texas. These reports help people understand the problems and find solutions.
Read Report →End with Red
Our big fundraiser each year. We raise money to support Black women living with HIV and AIDS.
Support →Other ways we help:
- Texas Black Women Rise Up: Black women share their stories and work together for change
- Health Center (coming soon): A place where people can talk about sex and health without feeling bad
- Legal help: We work with lawyers to fight bad laws in Texas
- Bail fund: We help pay bail for Black Lives Matter protesters
- Healthcare for all: We fight for everyone to get healthcare
- COVID-19 work: We track how COVID hurt Black women more than others
Our Impact
We work on many health issues at once:
🏥 HIV Support
We help Black women who have HIV or might get HIV. We teach them and connect them to care.
👶 Birth Justice
Black women can choose if, when, and how they have babies. They can birth safely.
✊ Building a Movement
We help Black women work together. When we speak up together, we get more power.
📢 Changing Laws
We work to change laws in Texas and across the country that hurt Black women.
What we believe:
- Everything connects: Being Black, being a woman, having less money — these all connect and affect health
- Healing matters: We help people heal from hurt and trauma
- We answer to our community: The Black women we serve tell us if we're doing good work
- People control their own bodies: Black women make their own choices about their bodies and lives
- Self-care is resistance: Taking care of yourself fights back against unfair systems
- All ages matter: We learn from older women and young women both
Why This Work Matters Right Now
Since the Supreme Court changed abortion laws in 2022, Texas has become even harder for Black women. We help people who need abortion care. We help people who can't get abortions and have to stay pregnant. Some people got pregnant from rape and can't get help.
But we don't just respond to crisis. We're building something bigger. We create spaces where Black women can heal, organize, and plan for a better future. A future where everyone has true freedom over their bodies and their lives.
What we've done:
- 15+ years helping Black women and girls in North Texas
- Hundreds of women got HIV help and support
- We trained doulas who help keep mothers and babies safe
- We helped change laws about reproductive health
- We created a network of young Black women leaders
- Thousands of Black women came to Afiya Talks and felt safe and welcome
- Our reports teach people about the crisis in Black maternal health
About Us
📅 When We Started
2008 in Dallas, Texas
👩💼 Our Director
Marsha Jones (Founder)
⚖️ What We Are
Nonprofit (EIN: 36-4625704)
📍 Where We Are
4373 S Hampton Rd, Suite A
Dallas, TX 75232
Get in touch:
- Phone: (214) 753-3777
- Website: www.theafiyacenter.org
- Email: Contact through website
Ways to help:
- Give money: Your gift helps us run programs that change lives
- Volunteer: Join SMART or other programs. Teach people. Fight back against shame.
- Come to events: Join Afiya Talks. Come to the Texas summit. Support End with Red.
- Tell others: Share our work with your friends and family
- Become an ambassador: Join Young Black Women for Choice and speak up
- Partner with us: Groups can work with us on programs
Groups that support us:
- National Network of Abortion Funds
- Ms. Foundation for Women
- Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
- The Well Project
- Groundswell Fund
- Collective Power for Reproductive Justice
- In Defense of Black Lives Dallas Coalition
- Texas groups working on reproductive justice and abortion funds
Message from Director Marsha Jones
"We help people with many different problems. Some people have HIV. Some people are pregnant and need support. Some people need abortions. We help all of them."
"Right now, Black women and Black bodies are under attack. That's why we need to build something strong. We need to train the next group of Black women leaders. That's our goal — making sure this work continues."
