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The Heart of It: Imani Woods, Supporting Black Leadership

Thank Imani Woods. She was a founding member of the harm reduction movement and changed the narrative about harm reduction in Black communities by centering race. Invest in Black harm reduction leaders and communities.

“You can't talk about drugs without talking about race.” - Imani Woods

Imani Woods was a founding member of the harm reduction movement and helped change the narrative about the benefits of syringe exchange at a time when there was significant distrust about needle exchange in Black communities.

Initially Woods was an “abstinence proponent” but she became an “’ardent protester’ in support of harm reduction”. She founded the organization SOS (Street Outreach Services) in Seattle and was a founding member of the National Harm Reduction Coalition. Woods started doing syringe exchange in the 1980s after seeing it in action on the streets of Seattle.

Sources: 1, 2, 3