We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Malene Brissett a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Malene , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents are both health care professionals. I’ve watched my father build and run a clinic in our community out of a need to provide care to those who had inequitable access to care. I’ve seen my mother work in a vulnerable population providing care and compassion in an environment that is stressful and often times, forgotten. So at a young age, my exposure to health care has always been rooted in my love for seeing people healthy and able-bodied. My innate love for public health stems from my personal origins of being in a family of professionals that practice medicine, advocate for patients, and use technology that support public health information delivery. I believe that public health connects everyone. I learned from them that an unhealthy public, breeds an unsafe society of people who will ultimately spread disease, discord and death. Public health is a vital part of who I am and I am fortunate to have been in a position to always have health care, but have had friends who weren’t as fortunate. I’ve grown up seeing members of my community become sick and die due to preventable chronic conditions. I’ve lost friends and family like many others to poor health, economic scarcity and an abundance of misinformation. So my parents absolutely got it right; and because of them I am hypersensitive to healthcare inequities, and driven to level the playing field in any way possible.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am the Founder and Executive Director of Women’s Access to Empowerment Inc., known to most as Brooklyn WATE. Before this title, I worked in a city agency in the department of emergency medical services for 12 years, and there I witnessed the complexities of an overwhelmed system designed to handle the hustle of a busy New York City filled with just a little over 8 million New Yorkers. While I was there I continuously had goals to do more for my patients. Responding to trauma and sick calls while in the field, and then getting the experience to field calls was just not enough for me. I needed to do more; I needed to be able to follow up and to have relationships with these anonymous individuals that I either met in response to a call , or who I had to give verbal emergency directions to by phone. Those 12 years went by quickly, as I had gotten married, had 3 children, and was finishing up my degree requirements. After the birth of my last son, and making the choice to resign, I felt idle. Motherhood had put me in a chokehold that sometimes made me feel like I wasn’t living in my complete purpose. I chose to create a space for women who needed to get out of the labels and boxes they were force into. And *poof*, just like that , in 2014, Women’s Access to Empowerment Inc. came to be. It was birthed out of my yearn to give women a stage to be seen and to share their triumphs. It started out being my selfish need to showcase all the magic that Black Women leaders were wielding in surrounding communities. My goal was to make sure that I was grateful for the work they were doing, but to make sure that other people knew how to connect to those women who were doing so much work behind the scenes to move us as a people forward. Since then, [Brooklyn WATE ] has grown to provide Black Women Do Initiatives which allow us to provide resources that teach active skill building, because we know that Black women have less adequate social support than their non-Black counterparts. Allowing Black women to authentically participate in their own expressions of self care and self love was an essential component to why the programming is readily available at minimal to no cost ,most often. Our success also comes from being in fellowship with one another. Our signature Big Hat Fundraising Event is our platform to give applause and accolades to these phenomenal women who dedicate their time, talent and treasury to supporting causes that impact and change lives. It’s also a fun moment for women to get dressed up and sport a nice Sunday hat or fascinator. For the record, we feel good , when we look good. It boosts our self esteem when we compliment one another. That’s a really important feature of that event. There is also a necessity for culturally responsive outreach and intervention for the mental health of Black Women. I believe that when Black women find community and are supported, they thrive and are better able to take care of themselves, their families and their communities. Our programming is designed to provide value to the communities we serve, and support black owned businesses. We specifically curate programming that addresses the structural issues of Food Insecurities, Gun Violence, and Healthcare Inequalities that plague communities of color.

Each year, I step into new territory of the unknown, but proudly I’ve managed to keep it together all though we are severely underfunded. I think the most difficult part of the journey is getting people to see that the programming requires consistent funding. While the service will always be provided to those who need it by any means necessary, its always good to take a sigh of relief and believe that funding is coming. I tell myself all the time “Mel you got this! Keep pushing, keep doing.” I take pride in knowing that we are 9 years in and still going. Thank you to those who pray for Brooklyn WATE, who donate, and who come out and support our efforts.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Support! No one is an island. Ask and you shall receive is not just something written in the Bible, its literally the way of life. There are so many different people that you meet on this journey that have a little piece of what you need to make your business more successful. Speak to people, have a relationship with them, support their functions, ask them to support yours. Communicate your fears and what skills you need help fine tuning. No one knew it all, and everyone learned from someone else. It’s your turn to get the support you need. What’s the worst thing that can happen? Someone will say I don’t have it, or they may tell you, “No!” . At the end of the day, you get to continue your search and ask for assistance else where. I’m learning to not take things personal. A wise cousin of mine just recently said to me, “Everyone can’t support you the way you need them to support you, Mel. It’s just not their thing. Let them support you how they can, and say thank you.” In order to succeed, you need to be willing to ask for support. Period.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Saying yes to every and anything is the lesson I had to unlearn. I really wouldn’t say I had to unlearn it, I would say I had to modify how I looked at my schedule and how I valued my time. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m down for whatever. I will lose sleep, I will make things happen. If I say I am going to do it, then it will get done. There was a time when a friend of mine asked me to commit to proofreading their work, helping them design a brochure, and still wanting me to hang out with them and a new friend they were dating, in a matter of two days. I said yes, I could do it. In my head, I just knew that I had. solid plan to do the task and still drop the kids at school. I would come home after drop-off, because I was off from work for the next 3 days (I worked over night ), and I can get it done during the day, take a nap, start dinner, and still get the boys. That particular week, I went in for overtime, forgetting about this “fail-proof” plan. I came home, saw my husband for a moment before my eyes crossed. I want to say he took the kids to school, because I woke up that evening. I started nothing. She called me, and I lied and said its almost done, also mentioning that I’m ready to meet her friend. Everything started going downhill. I cooked nothing. My kids came home hungry, I had a tremendous amount of “Mommy-guilt”, I didn’t feel like going out, I didn’t even produce quality work for her as she knows I am capable of. I literally just told her, I can’t do it at the last minute. I totally flaked out. My heart wanted to do it, but my body knew different. I was exhausted. You cant do anything well if you are exhausted. So now, I’m a slave to my calendar. If it doesn’t get on my calendar, there is no room for it to happen. I am also still learning and in school currently, and my study schedule, lab schedule, Brooklyn WATE programming schedule, family life , “regular-degular” stuff doesn’t allow me to say yes to anything frivolously. No’s work well. No’s show you are responsible and you respect peoples time. It gives you the power to show that you value their request and that your time matters.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brooklynwate.org
• Instagram: @BrooklynWATE
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/BrooklynWATE
• Linkedin: @BrooklynWATE

Image Credits
GERALD HORTON PHOTOGRAPHY SIDRA GREENE PHOTOGRAPHY