Abstract
The dismantling of structural oppression can be aided by culturally and ethically responsible co-creation between marginalized communities and arts-based public health researchers. In this chapter, the authors will provide examples of nurtured relationships with Black women on the breast cancer continuum, focusing on their “real talk” (Morgan et al. ABNF Journal 25, 2014) being centred. Specifically, through Black women-led discussions about their cancer experiences, use of cultural health capital (Dubbin et al. Social Science & Medicine 93:113–120, 2013) to address provider misogynoir (Sacks 2016) and gendered and racialized roles in community wellness, poetry, and narratives were cultivated and shared as part of arts in health education (Sonke et al. 2019) initiatives. Guided by epistemic justice, transformational grounded theory, and culturally relevant creative expressions, this chapter explores how arts-based health researchers can amplify genuine Black experiences and infuse Black epistemology into BIPOC community problem-solving opportunities, while minimizing risk of exploitation through co-creation, co-evaluation, and co-dissemination.