Today I have Gabrielle Davis meeting me on the mat. Gabrielle and I align on advocating and amplifying Black women living with Lupus and talk tools to cope with the physical, mental and emotional impact of auto-immune illness. Slide on into the Lupus Sistas Ohmies Studio.
Today I have Gabrielle Davis meeting me on the mat. Gabrielle and I align on advocating and amplifying Black women living with Lupus and talk tools to cope with the physical, mental and emotional impact of auto-immune illness. Slide on into the Lupus Sistas Ohmies Studio.
https://www.instagram.com/lupussistas/
Kidney Donors, please email: GabrielleGDavis@Gmail.com
S01E09_Gabrielle Davis_Ohmies Video Interview Final.mov
Jewell Singletary [00:00:00] I'm so glad that we could finally connect because I started following you on Instagram. It's been a few years now just looking for more people to connect. Black women, especially, that have been living with lupus and just finding empathy in their shared experience. And I know I had reached out to you for a project that I started. Something that had been on my heart specifically to do a wellness workshop for a Black woman living with lupus. And then, you know, with the Panini Express, that kind of derailed it, but I was still able to get a few women together virtually for a meditation. And just to talk about some of the things that we experience. And I know you weren't feeling well at the time. And I'm like, oh, my goodness. Like my heart went out to you. But I so appreciate you being transparent in that moment and saying, you know, I don't really commit to things when I'm not feeling my best.
Gabrielle Davis [00:00:59] I try not to. And I thank you for honoring that because you wouldn't even some of our sisters in the community... It's, you know... I think boundaries in general, people have some issue with or just don't know what they are. I didn't either for the longest. That's something I learned in adulthood, honestly. And it's still very much a new concept to people and it offends some people. And I so I really appreciate you understanding that it wasn't the right time when I saw another opportunity to work with you. So let me just go ahead and honor that, especially since you were so gracious the first time around and I was up to it. So I'm great. It's great to be here with you.
Jewell Singletary [00:01:44] Yes. Awesome. Yes, of course. Of course. No, similar, I've had to really learn in adulthood and I feel like within the last two years really like, OK, these are boundaries and they are to protect myself and my well-being. And even if someone else doesn't like them, that's okay.
Jewell Singletary [00:02:00] Can you talk to me about when did you first start developing lupus symptoms and how long from when you started developing your symptoms to when you officially diagnosed?
Gabrielle Davis [00:02:12] Yeah, so. When I first knew when I was really, let's say, when I first was aware and really focused in on my body was 2009. But I really think that there was something going on as early as 2000-2001 when I was in college at Florida A&M, because I remember just being so fatigued all the time as a college student, you know, and I was like, why am I always napping and stuff? And I was just thinking it was just the workload, you know, I'm saying being here and there and everywhere and the way I was able to manage that was taking naps. There is blocks in my schedule where I was able to sleep and I didn't think anything of it other than I'm tired, I'm going to take a nap. But now just thinking of how tired I was, I was really experiencing fatigue. And I even think that a doctor told me that I should go get some labs done and of course, I was such a busybody even then, I was just like, I don't have time for that. I don't know what that's about. I'm just going to do whatever I want to do. So.
Gabrielle Davis [00:03:30] But officially, I was diagnosed in 2009. I started experiencing achiness and fatigue and just inflammation over my whole body on it was Valentine's Day, actually, 2009. I was a newlywed and I was really, you know, ready to celebrate with my husband. You know, I was going to go to Tampa. We were going to go out. It was going to be a thing. And I think I was actually in charge of planning. And I don't know, I guess I thought I was stressed or whatever. And, you know, when you experience pain, not really having the knowledge of other alternatives or ways to distress, I popped Tylenol. A good amount. The amount that I thought was going to take care of the pain and so I could have a good night. And only to find that I still felt the same hours later. Nothing, the pain had not been touched. So I and know I was so smart. I had this lightbulb idea that I would go to a massage therapist and that did nothing but spread the inflammation through my body. I was on the table in so much pain, but even then I didn't. I was just so I don't want to say insecure, but I really was at a point that I had not found my voice to speak up. And I just accepted the pain as I'm really tight or this is just the way it's supposed to be. But I walked out of there not really able to walk. I was really stiff, and so I made my way to Tampa and by that time. I was done, I had to go to the E.R., so four days later I was actually admitted. They found that I was severely dehydrated, so they pump me full of saline. And ummm what else? They found that my white blood cells were out of whack, so that's the only thing I had leaving the hospital.
Gabrielle Davis [00:05:36] I'm thankful that I had a Hispanic doctor at the time and that he was very well versed in treating minority patients and automatically pegged it as a connective tissue disease, which is, you know, general scope of the autoimmune family, I guess you would say. And then I went to a rheumatologist a few months later. It takes so long to get into these rheumatologists. There's just not enough of them.
Jewell Singletary [00:06:03] Right!!
Gabrielle Davis [00:06:05] Anybody with Lupus knows that! Yeah, it just takes months. It just takes months.
Jewell Singletary [00:06:09] Yes! All of them all across the country. It's the same. Yeah.
Jewell Singletary [00:06:14] So many gems that resonated there with me because I remember being in college and I would purposefully schedule my nap time around my classes.
Gabrielle Davis [00:06:25] Yes, you have to do that because all that walking!
Jewell Singletary [00:06:29] Yeaaahh! I was initially diagnosed when I was 12 years old.
Gabrielle Davis [00:06:36] Oh, wow!
Jewell Singletary [00:06:37] I journaled. So thanks to my journaling, I actually had symptoms about a year before I was diagnosed. And I did make the distinction in the question to when you started experiencing symptoms, to when you were officially diagnosed. Because to your point earlier, like a lot of people that suffer with lupus and other autoimmune illnesses, fibromyalgia as well, they suffer for years and go to specialists for years before doctors are able to finally come up with an diagnosis.
Gabrielle Davis [00:07:13] Mm hmm.
Jewell Singletary [00:07:14] And another point that you made that really resonated with you being grateful of having a Hispanic, a BIPOC doctor, that was familiar with treating people of color and really doing his due diligence to continue to dig until he found some answers in the general autoimmune illness that he diagnosed with, which eventually led to getting the confirmed lupus diagnosis. So that was really something that we need as well. More doctors of color that are in these specialties.
Gabrielle Davis [00:07:51] Yeah, that and doctors who understand minority patients. Period. Across the board. So.
Jewell Singletary [00:08:03] Yeah, but no, like all of that resonated so deeply, can you talk to me a little bit about what are some of the symptoms...? So I know, particularly your kidneys are impacted and you talked some about the extreme fatigue. How else does the lupus impact your physical health? We'll start there.
Gabrielle Davis [00:08:28] Physically. I love exercise. I love the endorphins. I love the way I feel. I feel so strong when I finish a good workout. I love to sweat, but lupus and lately I'm in a fatigue cycle that is just not allowing me to push the way I usually do. And so that, you know, impacts your mental health, which I know we'll talk about down the line physically, you know, really, it's the fatigue. It's the fatigue and just not being able to perform. And that's, as I said, the word to perform... But to do the things that I usually do, you know, and able to do, you know, when it was really bad, I was only able to do maybe one or two activities out of the house a day. That's all I could do because of the coordination of it all. The walking, the getting to where I need to do it would wipe me out and I would be done for the day. And so I'm kind of back into that place, unfortunately, trying to dig myself out and find a way out. And some of that is just exercising, doing some minimal exercise to kind of build on to get back to where I was. So I would say the fatigue and, you know, some fog even right now, I'm feeling a little...
Jewell Singletary [00:10:01] Yeah...
Gabrielle Davis [00:10:02] I feel a little spacey trying to get the words out. so, yeah, definitely say fog and fatigue are the biggest ways that lupus impacts me.
Jewell Singletary [00:10:15] Mm hmm. That's so crazy with the fog because you sound so articulate like you've got it together, like you don't sound foggy. You sound like you're struggling to articulate. But I know internally when I feel fog I'm like "oh, my god! i sound like idiot!!" [laughing]
Gabrielle Davis [00:10:29] like where am I???
Jewell Singletary [00:10:35] It really weighs on you. Can you talk a little bit about some of the mental health impacts that it [lupus] has?
Gabrielle Davis [00:10:43] Oh, yeah. I mean, there's definitely a lot of guilt, not only from...
Jewell Singletary [00:10:50] Mm hmmm.
Gabrielle Davis [00:10:51] Mainly from being a wife and mom, and a worker, you know, I have a full-time career. and the doctors appointments, everything that it takes to be well with lupus makes me feel guilty when I have to get home and within 30 minutes or an hour, if I'm not on the [dialysis] machine or getting the machine set up, I'm behind for the night. But that means I take away, you know, precious time away from my son because he can't be in the same room with me when I'm looking at my machine because he wants to touch and push buttons and everything. He's very much in that curious stage of how things work. And, you know, and I just can't tackle him and try to get on the machine.
Jewell Singletary [00:11:37] Yea that's a lot!
Gabrielle Davis [00:11:38] I miss that precious time with him because he's going to bed earlier and earlier these days because he's in daycare and they're wearing him out. Which we're grateful for! We're very grateful for, but that means that our time together during the week is very short. And so there's a lot of guilt and shame around that. Having to miss time with him, because I got to get on this machine that is essentially a lifeline for me. You know, taking care of ourselves sometimes pushes other things out, and that's unfortunate. So I do feel a lot of guilt, a lot of shame. A lot of anxiety sometimes just when things don't go right. When a lot of things cascade at the same time. Like right now I'm dealing with a hernia issue and something's going on with my throat dealing with acid reflux, which I'm sure the hernia is contributing to
Jewell Singletary [00:12:39] Mm hmm.
Gabrielle Davis [00:12:39] And then I have so I have an endoscopy coming up. I have some new doctors in the mix and then just don't let the machine not work, which happens fairly often.
Jewell Singletary [00:12:53] yeaah..
Gabrielle Davis [00:12:53] Having to troubleshoot that, which puts me behind. It's frustration. It's anxiety. It's like, how is this is like how is this all going to factor into my day? How is this going to put things behind? You know, it's like trying to play whack a mole and making sure things turn out the way they do, but I mean, we all know we don't really have control over that. But that doesn't stop me from trying to rein it in, you know, rightfully so. I want my day to go as smooth as possible. But, you know, I think I need to do better at handling it when it doesn't, and remembering that, you know, this is the situation. You know, this is what it is. And everybody around me knows that I really am the one who has a problem with it, you know? I mean, yes, it impacts my family. Yes. Do we talk about how it impacts our marriage, our family? Yes. But at the end of the day, he knows. My husband knows that this is just what it is. I am the one who seems to can't grasp or get a grip on this is what it is, you know, like when the machine doesn't act right, it's a reminder. When I have to go in for labs or whatever, it's a reminder, a stop in my day, you know. So definitely need some work in that area. Definitely don't have it all together. I'd be the first to admit that, you know, in fact, I was just thinking, like, am I really being honest with myself? Like, I do some things, but there's a lot of stuff I need to work on. You know, I'm saying it maybe that's growth, right? Maybe that's it. You know, just in the confession that we all could do better. You know what I'm saying? [00:14:39]We're not perfect, and no one in this world has the key on perfect mental health. [7.3s]
Jewell Singletary [00:14:47] Right!
Gabrielle Davis [00:14:48] and what that looks like, you know?
Jewell Singletary [00:14:51] Right! And really it's allowing ourselves grace and compassion and to know, like, you kind of tapped on it there. But naw none of us is perfect. We're all human. We're not like, yeah, you talk about the machines going haywire. And that's like technology in and of itself. But then we like to think that our bodies and our minds are supposed to perform a certain way every single day. And if they don't like, we really beat up on ourselves a lot about it. I get in my head all the time and I've had anxiety since I was a little girl until now. And now I'm starting to make more of a correlation between the anxious thoughts that I have more. So my thoughts are now because I'm an entrepreneur, so the idea of not having enough or not being able to expand this business enough that I could sustain myself and take care of my health on top of that. And feeling like I have to work all the time, but sometimes lupus tells me, "No, Jewell, you need to rest and you don't you can't do anything today." So giving myself that grace and space to know this will all be taken care of like I believe in God. So God, that divine spirit, that energy, the ancestors, they everything is going to be taking care of. You can rest. You can prioritize health.
Gabrielle Davis [00:16:13] Oh, yeah, you can. And God talks about rest.
Jewell Singletary [00:16:16] Yeaahh!
Gabrielle Davis [00:16:17] Rest is good.
Jewell Singletary [00:16:18] yes!
Gabrielle Davis [00:16:19] Resting in Him. Rest periods. Sleeping soundly.
Jewell Singletary [00:16:22] Yeah!
Gabrielle Davis [00:16:23] All in there. And so yes.
Jewell Singletary [00:16:25] Yes I definitely feel you on that, that feeling of guilt. I'm not a parent yet, but I appreciate that you shared having those feelings of guilt and shame. Like for me that more so expresses itself as sometimes I need to do like meal plan service or hired help to come and help me clean it. I live in a relatively small apartment. But, you know, when you were that fatigue or you were that drained, like making a meal, like forget about it! [laughing] Just brushing my teeth feels like effort!
Gabrielle Davis [00:16:58] I'm glad you reminded me because I actually want a meal prep this week because I don't want to cook during the week anymore.
Jewell Singletary [00:17:04] So what are some of the other things that you do to help you manage? I know you mentioned that you really enjoy exercise and the meal prep. I'm sure that helps with just like nourishing and staying healthy. So what are some of the other things you do obviously on top of. Well, you know, a go-ahead from everything, whether it's medical or holistic.
Gabrielle Davis [00:17:26] I have seen a therapist since 2013.
Jewell Singletary [00:17:28] Okay!
Gabrielle Davis [00:17:30] And that is very helpful in just sorting out my feelings and challenges. And in fact, let me tell you this. I actually went into therapy thinking that I needed help with lupus. It was not lupus. It was not help with accepting lupus. Anybody in therapy knows that we got to go back to the origin of where things started, and that is with our families and how we were groomed to do certain things, how we were taught to think certain ways, watching our parents go, how they, you know, unknowingly passed some things and practices onto us that we need to unlearn. And that's what I've been discovering layer by layer as I continue. Just the emotional unavailability in some ways that has me unable to express. i really, in the beginning, did not know how to express basic feelings. If you were to ask me how I felt about something, I would tell you, I don't know.
Jewell Singletary [00:18:41] Yeah.
Gabrielle Davis [00:18:41] I just wasn't able to say that I was sad or mad or whatever. I really had to get out the feelings wheel and, you know, talk about what I was feeling. And so all that to say therapy is a major help. I think every Black person in America, regardless of chronic illness, needs to be in a therapy room today!
Jewell Singletary [00:19:08] Yeessss!! I agree! Cosign! Yes!
Gabrielle Davis [00:19:12] Because it is crazy out here. It's wild. People, and I think you understand what I'm saying, about people are acting crazy. There's a lot. I mean, from the Olympics, to police, to microaggressions in corporate America.
Jewell Singletary [00:19:28] Yes!
Gabrielle Davis [00:19:29] Government policy.
Jewell Singletary [00:19:31] All of that.
Gabrielle Davis [00:19:33] If you really tune into what's going on, your anxiety level will be sky high and you will be depressed because you will not feel like you can really achieve here.
Jewell Singletary [00:19:49] Right. Cause it's not set up for us to achieve. It wasn't set up for our ancestors to achieve. We are carrying the DNA of their trauma as well, like race-based trauma and stress is real. Yeah, yes. Yes! Continue.
Gabrielle Davis [00:20:04] Medical trauma as well. So there's just a lot to grapple with. And that's why I'm saying we cannot continue to be a people who tries to do it on our own. We need each other.
Jewell Singletary [00:20:20] Yes!
Gabrielle Davis [00:20:20] We need more people in the mental health field that look like us.
Jewell Singletary [00:20:25] Yes.
Gabrielle Davis [00:20:25] And we need to welcome support, period. So therapy late at night, I stay still. I'm not good at sleep. I need to be better asleep. That is key if I get that down, watch out world. But one thing I do, I have to have time to myself. I don't care how late it is. I don't care if it's midnight or one. I need some time where I'm not answering to my job or my family. And so usually I use that time to journal or read, even mindlessly scroll sometimes, it's not the best use of my time, but it's still my time.
Jewell Singletary [00:21:00] Yeah! Good for you!
Gabrielle Davis [00:21:01] Or I do coloring apps.
Jewell Singletary [00:21:04] Yeessss!
Gabrielle Davis [00:21:05] So I find myself doing that and really enjoying that late-night. I don't have to think about anything. You know what I'm saying? I'm not trying to make some decisions or you know, it just helps me just stay in the moment and I guess kind of be creative of, you know, what I want to do with this image in front of me. Usually, I make them Black.
Jewell Singletary [00:21:26] Yeah, OK! Why not?! [laughing]
Gabrielle Davis [00:21:28] Everybody Black!! So, yeah. So that's how I... and prayer, you know...
Jewell Singletary [00:21:38] Yeah!
Gabrielle Davis [00:21:38] And all of that. And so. Yeah, [00:21:43]that's how I find some peace and try to stay balanced. Self-care, what I'm finding is you can't wait for a moment to come to practice self-care. It will never, ever, ever, ever come. [14.3s] Somebody is always going to be tapping you. If it's not your family is your job. If it's not, that is your own health you must make time for it. I just find that more and more to be true. You just there's no oh, you know, I saw a meme recently that said "adulthood is just saying, OK, after this week, it'll slow down until you die.".
Jewell Singletary [00:22:20] Right! That's literal!
Gabrielle Davis [00:22:21] It's true! that's why I find myself like, OK, OK, just get through this week and we'll have some down time. It's a lie. It's a lie. The devil is a lie. It's a lie. It's never going to slow down. Ever. [laughing] Let's just get that off the table unless you quit your job, leave your family, and all that and is not going... For me, it's not going to happen!
Jewell Singletary [00:22:46] Yeah!
Gabrielle Davis [00:22:47] So I'm just going to say OK is never going to slow down. I have to slow it down, you know, it can slow down but it's not going to slow down by itself.
Jewell Singletary [00:22:56] Right.
Gabrielle Davis [00:22:56] I have to say, OK, I'm going to go take a walk.
Jewell Singletary [00:22:59] Right.
Gabrielle Davis [00:23:00] And not feel guilty about it.
Jewell Singletary [00:23:02] Right.
Gabrielle Davis [00:23:02] That's the thing. [00:23:05]It is crazy to say that taking a walk makes me feel guilty, [3.3s] but, you know, we all have this. Well, I have this identity of I need to be here and do this and do that. And sometimes, you know, taking time for myself stops me from doing those things that's necessary.
Jewell Singletary [00:23:24] Yeah, that's very innate for Black women in general and then also from moms. Like you're always going to put your kid first and you're always going to put everyone else ahead of you. But it's so, so important to pour into your cup first, because then you will have that much more to give to everyone else, whether it be your child, your husband, and all the other responsibilities that you have in life, for sure.
Gabrielle Davis [00:23:47] Mm hmm. Mm hmm.
Jewell Singletary [00:23:48] But thank you. I appreciate you being so transparent with the tools that have really worked for you. I've been in therapy every Friday for the past two years and it has been transformative. My therapist, she's also a Black woman and she also lives with autoimmune illness. So she understand me on a completely different level that I just like most people don't like unless you live with an autoimmune illness...
Gabrielle Davis [00:24:14] That's Amazing!
Jewell Singletary [00:24:15] Yeah. So like this stuff she tells me, like, you need to be doing smoothies every morning and making sure that you're going for your daily walks and yoga, like making sure that she treats me holistically on top of digging up all of that old stuff that I didn't quite realize was really connected to the development of lupus and autoimmune illness in my body. Like, I truly believe that anything that we suffer from mentally, manifests physically in our body in some form of illness disease. And so I wanted to talk about that a little bit, too. And not that you have to get into anything specific, but for me personally, I grew up in a domestic violence household and my father passed away when I was eight years old. This is actually the 30th anniversary of his death this year. And there were so many people in my family that passed away when I was little. So it's like I was going to a funeral every single year. When I first started journaling the first thing I'm talking about is being depressed because my grandmother has passed away and then also feeling fatigue and like the first signs of lupus. I was also developing my cycle that year so that, like, added a whole influx of hormones that impacted the development of lupus. So all of that trauma, like the trauma happened back to back years. And then within months, it seemed like is when I officially got the diagnosis of lupus. And of course, the symptoms had developed before that. So I say all that to say, have you noticed in your own life any trauma that you've dealt with that perhaps could have been linked to the development of lupus in your body?
Gabrielle Davis [00:26:05] Oh, I definitely believe that. I think, you know, I definitely know that there is a lot of childhood emotional neglect going on. And I didn't even know that was a thing. I just it was a feeling. It was a feeling. And definitely believe that that fed into performance driveness. I still very much am that way, dismantling that little by little.
Jewell Singletary [00:26:35] Yeah.
Gabrielle Davis [00:26:36] Because it was essentially the way that I was raised to be. I identify with my accomplishments. I identify with being a "good girl", not being a burden, not... I knew these things even as I was young. Making myself resourceful. There's a benefit to knowing me, there's a benefit for me being in your life. I am an asset to your life. I just couldn't be me. That was not enough in my eyes and in my spirit, I grew myself to be the person that [was] likable, essentially. In some ways needed in a lot of codependency going on, and so with that, you want to do everything for everybody and to stress. And I definitely believe that me trying to pull myself in eighteen hundred different directions for mom, dad, whatever significant other was in my life at the time, really led to just doing too much. And the stress of it all. I was also in journalism and I was a cop reporter. So you can only imagine the trauma and the jadedness that you need to have to be able to report on death and criminal things. Lewd things. Hard, disheartening things and treated as if it was an everyday occurrence. I just could not... I had to distance myself emotionally to be able to do that job. And I notice that I'm still have a certain, not as much, but still have some jadedness left in me from that time as a journalist. So, of course, you know, the emotional unavailability played into that as well. [00:28:52]So there's a whole cacophony of things that I believe contributed to Lupus manifesting because we know that environment plays a part and stress is a big thing and there is a hereditary element. And so I think I had all of those. And honestly, I think the stress just threw me over the edge. Yes, you can have that hereditary and it not manifest. It can be in your bloodline and not manifest, but when you have that environment, which was the newsroom and then you have the stress, the mental, the pressure, whatever. You know, there we go. So I definitely believe that there were some things in my past that just was sitting in me that wasn't dealt with, didn't know to deal with it. [53.6s]
Jewell Singletary [00:29:46] Yeah.
Gabrielle Davis [00:29:46] Everything was fine until, you know, it [Lupus] just came out.
Jewell Singletary [00:29:53] Yeah. I've read some studies as well that are saying that doctors do need to do more of a mental health and trauma history on their patients as they're looking to diagnose autoimmune illnesses because they are thinking, researchers are thinking that a lot of what we have to like, what we live through environmentally and socially has an impact with how certain illnesses manifest. Because to your point, like, yeah, I have certain family members have different types of lupus in my family. And so you might have that hereditary piece. But if you're in a certain environment or have social circumstances that contribute to stress or other things, you know, poor diet as well. All of that plays into how illness manifests in the body.
Gabrielle Davis [00:30:50] I have to remind myself, "don't reach for that toast today. Go ahead and make that smoothie [inaudible]".
Jewell Singletary [00:30:56] [Laughing] Right! I feel you on that!
Gabrielle Davis [00:31:03] A lot of stress eating going on lately!
Jewell Singletary [00:31:05] Yes! But the last official question I want to ask you is, what inspired you to get into your advocacy work?
Gabrielle Davis [00:31:13] That's a great question, and I'm glad you asked me that specifically, I got into advocacy because I wasn't seeing anybody like me talking about lupus, and I know that we were the most affected by lupus, but I didn't see nobody looking like me. And I know that we have special needs.
Jewell Singletary [00:31:31] Yes!
[00:31:32] As black women. As being the backbone of our family, especially those who are doing it on their own. We have special needs that are not addressed in the main community, and I was saying, if I can't find it, I'm going to be it. And eventually, I did start to find more people on Instagram and everything like that. So we're out there. But in the very beginning, in like 2009, 2010, I wasn't finding anything. I wasn't finding the emotions I was feeling. Just nobody really talking about it as far as real life, what it looks like to live with lupus. And so I started to advocate because I'm just the type of person that I'm not going to sit down and take what's given to me, especially if it's a bad hand. I'm going to turn it around and try to make purpose out of it and impact others. And so I got into it just really as a coping mechanism, being a busy body, but with purpose. And I found it to be really impactful and helpful for others. And it feeds me, you know, it's a two-way street. My community feeds into me and I do my best to feed into them and what I learn and what I know, you know, and be a voice. That's number one, because we're really not represented at the patient table. Peroid. Nobody is. And you to just find companies making medication for patients that they don't talk to, they don't reach out to, they don't know what we need. They don't know what life is like for us. And it's unimaginable that they wouldn't. And so that's part of my mission, to be in those rooms, to have a voice, to speak up for people in the community and especially people that look like me so we can be represented. Nobody is going to take your medication if they don't see themselves in your products . If they don't see themselves in your marketing, they're going to think that is not for them. How could they think that because they don't see themselves and so I am hoping that my advocacy helps my community so that it raises their voice, because I believe that when you advocate for those who are not representing the whole community is going to be represented because you're helping what the Bible says, the least of these, the ones that are not seen, the one that can't speak up, don't know how to speak up, don't know that they can have a voice in these spaces, you know, and we need to have a voice everywhere, everywhere, including in these pharmaceutical boardrooms. OK!?
Jewell Singletary [00:34:10] Yes! All of us!
Gabrielle Davis [00:34:11] And you will pay me for that! [laughing]
Jewell Singletary [00:34:14] Yes! OK! Pay her what she deserves and add tax.
Gabrielle Davis [00:34:19] You're not going to take my time and not pay me. Period.
Jewell Singletary [00:34:25] At all. At all. that is fantastic. Thank you so much for sharing that. That was definitely an inspiration for me starting this project as well. Black women over-index with the symptoms that we get, how early we get lupus and you don't see us represented. And even the major foundations like Lupus Foundation dot org and all of those foundations that advocate for people with lupus, you don't see any of us on their panels, on their boards, in their marketing materials. And I never think about it from the aspect of the pharmaceutical companies either. Not you don't see us!
Gabrielle Davis [00:35:03] Yea we're working on it. I promise you, there are people in the trenches working on that, working on health equity, working on health access. We're definitely making it known. And this environment, you can't ignore it. You just can't ignore it, especially with covid. And with that brought to light, you can't ignore it. So we're definitely taking the opportunity and capitalizing on that. And, you know, some of my sisters, you know, I can name one for sure, Monique Gore-Massy is definitely if you don't know her, get to know her. She's definitely in the trenches with every group imaginable, raising her voice on health equity, access to health care, doing presentations. So look that sister up, she's one to... If you can get in touch with her because sister is busy! Busy, busy, booked and busy! "The Lemonade Maker," is what she calls herself.
Jewell Singletary [00:35:58] Alright cool!
Gabrielle Davis [00:35:58] If you look into her, she is phenomenal!
Jewell Singletary [00:36:02] Thank you for the recommendation!
Gabrielle Davis [00:36:04] Yes look her up. Yeah, we're definitely in the trenches. Yes!
Jewell Singletary [00:36:08] Dope!
Gabrielle Davis [00:36:08] Yes! We are definitely in the trenches trying to be seen by these big organizations and working with them, collaborating. And they're open these days.
Jewell Singletary [00:36:16] Yes!
Gabrielle Davis [00:36:16] To doing that [collaborating]. So.
Jewell Singletary [00:36:18] Dope! Well keep fighting the good fight on all of our behalf!
Gabrielle Davis [00:36:22] Thank you I will!
Jewell Singletary [00:36:22] This is why we're so good! So the final segment is called Inside the Ohmies Studio. So it's super fun. Think of like short word answers. One word or short phrase. You don't have to think about it too much. So we'll get started with the collective breath just to ground ourselves. So just emptying all of the air that's in your lungs. And then take an inhale. Exhale when you're ready.
Jewell Singletary [00:36:57] Describe your personal style in one word.
Gabrielle Davis [00:37:02] Sophista-funk.
Jewell Singletary [00:37:04] What's one thing you wish you can change about the world?
Gabrielle Davis [00:37:10] Evil.
Jewell Singletary [00:37:12] What brings you joy?
Gabrielle Davis [00:37:15] My baby boy's smile.
Jewell Singletary [00:37:17] What makes you cry?
Gabrielle Davis [00:37:22] When my Lupus community hurts.
Jewell Singletary [00:37:23] What type of impact do you want to have on this earth?
Gabrielle Davis [00:37:30] I want to empower Black women who have been dealt a crazy hand in life.
Jewell Singletary [00:37:41] What's your favorite thing about being Black?
Gabrielle Davis [00:37:44] Freedom and being who we are to do whatever we want.
Jewell Singletary [00:37:51] What do you hope for your community?
Gabrielle Davis [00:37:56] Freedom in mind and soul. And when we do that, we can be unstoppable.
Jewell Singletary [00:38:02] Yeah, I agree. What do you love most about yourself?
Gabrielle Davis [00:38:07] oooo, that's a good question. My ability, my resilience. It's like none other.
Jewell Singletary [00:38:19] What's your favorite book?
Gabrielle Davis [00:38:21] Like outside of the Bible, it would be a collection of short stories from Black Women authors, don't ask me the title or all of that, but I just remember that book. And it was just brilliant. Brilliant.
Jewell Singletary [00:38:35] And the final question, name five music artists that would be on the soundtrack of your life.
Gabrielle Davis [00:38:41] Oh, I love this! Five Music Artists. Victory. So Victory Boyd. We all need a little Beyonce in our life. I'm not even a Beehive. I'm not even in the Beyhive like that, but everybody needs a little Beyonce. OK, so I'm really into the 90s right now and CeCe Peniston is giving me life.
Jewell Singletary [00:39:03] Yaaassssss!!!! come on! Yes, OK! I love CeCe Peniston!!
Gabrielle Davis [00:39:07] Come on CeCe! Anderson Paak is giving me life.
Jewell Singletary [00:39:12] OK! That's a good one.
Gabrielle Davis [00:39:13] And we got one more.
Jewell Singletary [00:39:16] Yup! One more.
Gabrielle Davis [00:39:16] A Tribe Called Quest is always in [inaudible].
Jewell Singletary [00:39:17] Alright! Come on, Bonita Applebum. You gotta put me on! I love it! Dope! Thank you so much! I appreciate you again. Let the people know how they can reach you for advocacy work. Or I also know that you are looking for a kidney donor. So how can people reach out?
Gabrielle Davis [00:39:37] Thank you for that! So you can reach me on Instagram if you want to connect there and just see what's going on in my crazy, wacky world at Lupus Sistas. That's L-U-P-U-S-S-I-S-T-A-S, that's "Sistas" with a flavor. And then you can reach me by email if you're interested in donating. I am blood type B, but you do not need to be my blood type to donate the hospital that I'm with participates in an exchange program. So the way that works is that if you're a match for someone else and then that other person or somebody else match for me, it's kind of like a credit. You get one, I get one, everybody gets one. So that'll be good. And I can be reached at Gabrielle G Davis at Gmail dot com and reach out to me there, send me an email. Let me know that you heard it here because you wouldn't believe I've heard some people just emailed me out of the blue and I was just like this is kind of creepy. I don't know. [Jewell laughing] Let me know that you heard on the podcast, and I will understand that you are legit interested. So.
Jewell Singletary [00:40:44] Yes! Thank you again so much, Gabrielle. I appreciate your time.