We recently connected with Dr. Hareder McDowell and have shared our conversation below.
Dr. Hareder, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?
My mission is based on the lack of sexual education and communication provided specifically through the lens and experience of black women. The creation of my nonprofit organization, P.R.E.T.T.Y INC, was based on how sexual choices were not discussed & sexual communication was not accepted nor provided from a positive standpoint therefore allowing black women and girls to fall victim to sexual abuse, unplanned pregnancy, contraction of sexually transmitted infections, low body positivity, lack of sexual pleasure and maturity and shame. The program offers a historical and data based reference allowing black women and girls to understand the huge gaps in research of black women and sexuality and how lack of positive communication between mother and mother figures & their daughters about sex, lead to adversarial sexual experiences and trauma. Our organization provides both awareness and education from a nonjudgmental standpoint which makes this mission meaningful. The result of executing this mission is simply offering girls a positive and prepared opportunity to create their own unique sexual experiences safely and confidently.
Hareder, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
When I decided to study Black women and sex and craft a communication analysis to better understand how black women communicate about sex I realized that in 90% of the cases I’ve studied, we did not communicate at all. I understood that American history inclusive of slavery used black women to birth a nation through mass and systematic rape; a term that did not apply to black women as their bodies could be used at anytime by anyone. I understood that doctors who created the tools of gynecological care today created those by using black female slaves as human test subjects void of anesthesia to create tools like the speculum. Through those & many other horrific practices based on sex, I realized that very few black women were offered a positive sexual education through the generations because sex was not a positive experience for most women. After interviewing hundreds of women I realized I needed to create a program that offers young girls the opportunity to learn about sex & given the tools and education to make free choices that many other generations did not have. My company works with girls within Chicago Public Schools and surrounding colleges to encourage positive sexual communication which leads to safe choices and better experiences which increases confidence and happiness. My book , Black Women, Sex & The Lies our Mothers told us’” was released as a quick tool for black women and girls to discuss various scenarios regarding sexuality and choice based on their family culture. This book now falls within the top 21 books for black women!
The book lead to a podcast that launched in March 2024 during women’s history month entitled “I found my Words.” Which opened up an opportunity for me to use the many communication tools that I’ve learned to be expressed in creative ways in efforts to help black women find and reclaim their voices surrounding maternal mortality, sexual choice, care giving and sexual health as well as red flags in relationships from the lens of black men toward black women.
My work has given me the opportunity to work with congresswomen on creating task force for reform regarding black girls and sex, it has allowed me to become the only community psychologist in Chicago governed providing services and resources to its citizens, it’s allowed me to work on breast cancer research teams at Stanford created to understand how body shame based on sexual trauma can lead to an avoidance of mammograms which are life saving. This work is in its infancy as it relates to researcher’s really diving into understanding how the sexual experiences and traumas of black women in this country are vastly different than any other culture. This fact alone makes my work unique and revolutionary because I educate from a stand point of freedom and choice not promotion and propaganda.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Deciding to research and then work with only black women surrounding sex was risky. Many people told me that this work was inappropriate and that I wouldn’t progress based on my style. My methods when working with girls in the educational system are honest and open so I do not promote marriage nor abstinence. I teach choice so that girls can make their own decisions which lead to less regret and better outcomes. When I first created the curriculum many parents didn’t allow their girls to attend my programs and many funders would not provide grants or small business loans to us based on the topic. I was judged in misunderstood by many black women who also felt that the teaching methods were a bit too direct or even that admitting that generationally we were lied to by our own mothers and them by their mothers was too harsh. Each time I reviewed criticism and couldn’t find funding to press forward I would tap into my spirituality and understanding of self and my God given purpose and press forward. I would fundraise creatively, write my own grants , develop my own team of like-minded professionals who could teach me and I took to social media to spread my message. I have been in business for (8) years and I am still pushing but funding and support has increased!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
As an entrepreneur a pivot on the regular is mandatory for growth and a pivot doesn’t equate to failure it’s just a shift for the moment. I have had to create lanes of income to ensure my own stability building my dream. After the pandemic I began to understand where the economy would shift so I had to consider how I would balance my career and my entrepreneurial vision. I had to consider medical benefits and overall financial stability. In that space I had to encourage myself to go back into the traditional workforce and find a position that would still allow me to maintain my own growth while helping a company grow. I had to first pray and know there was a position out there that would allow me to use my skills built in creating my own company with their company. When I saw myself on paper and realized how much work I’d done building my own brand I didn’t realize how qualified I was to build someone else’s. I was blessed to be offered a position as a director in government space within the city of Chicago allowing me to transfer those same creative skills and talent to the citizens of the city that I love. I was asked to direct financial education and empower the community to learn and understand money as a method to breaking generational curses that translates to generational wealth. This pivot ended up being amazing because the same fear, ignorance, challenges that I ran into attempting to educate a culture about something as uncomfortable as sex, are the ones I run into educating a community about money. My methods are the same and based on understanding culture and community creatively. I am now able to work with communities about better sex on one and and becoming wealthy on the other. I’d say it’s a set of dreams come true!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Haredermcdowell.com
- Instagram: @dr.hmac
- Facebook: Reda McDowell
- Linkedin: Hareder McDowell
- Twitter: Redamac
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@drmcdowell7152
- Other: @harederm1984
Image Credits
Dr. McDowell and the PRETTY girls of Daisey Bates Elementary School on the southeast side of Chicago, spring 2024
Dr. McDowell speaking about a purpose driven career at National-Louis University; Chicago Campus
City of Chicago official staff photo
Logo for P.R.E.T.T.Y INC realprettygirls.org
I found my Words podcast and guest Dr. Joi Basely