Expanding Our Impact: Introducing Lupus to the We Are ILL Portfolio

We Are ILL began in 2017 as a social media campaign amplifying the voices of Black women living with multiple sclerosis, created in response to a healthcare system that too often overlooked their experiences. In 2020, We Are ILL became a nonprofit rooted in the belief that Black women navigating chronic illness deserve culturally responsive education, visible representation, and community-centered care. As our work has grown, so has our recognition that the inequities facing Black women extend beyond a single diagnosis. Expanding our portfolio to include lupus is a natural evolution of our mission — allowing us to broaden our impact while continuing to center the lived experiences of those most affected.

To address health disparities impacting Black women living with lupus and lupus nephritis by bringing the trusted We Are ILL approach — cultural relevance, patient storytelling, and accessible education — to this underrepresented community.

Why Lupus?

• Lupus disproportionately affects Black women, who are three times more likely than white women to develop the disease.

• Lupus nephritis, a serious kidney manifestation, can lead to end-stage kidney disease if untreated.

• Despite advances in research and treatment, lupus remains widely misunderstood and underdiagnosed in women of color.

• Expanding into lupus allows We Are ILL to strengthen its commitment to health equity, ensuring that Black women navigating all chronic autoimmune conditions are seen, supported, and heard.

Our Approach

We Are ILL will combine shared advocacy with focused disease education through a layered strategy designed to unify and empower:

• Unified Awareness:
  Storytelling campaigns that highlight the shared experiences of Black women living with invisible illnesses, focusing on resilience, sisterhood, and self-advocacy.

• Segmented Education:
  Dedicated programs tailored to each community (MS, NMOSD, and Lupus) addressing disease-specific education, treatment pathways, and patient-provider communication.

• Cultural Integration:
  Partnering with beauty, wellness, and faith-based spaces to normalize conversations about chronic illness within everyday life.

Our Promise

As we expand into lupus, we will uphold the same level of excellence, empathy, and cultural authenticity that has defined our impact in the MS community. Our work will continue to center lived experience, patient storytelling, and representation as essential tools for better health outcomes. Multiple sclerosis remains a core therapeutic focus for We Are ILL, and this expansion reflects our capacity to serve additional communities with intention, care, and depth — without compromising the trust, programs, or advocacy we have built alongside Black women living with MS.