Critical Matriarchal Futures: Reimagining Public Health Communication Leadership as Response to State-Sanctioned Violence

This commentary frames the U.S. public-health workforce crisis — mass attrition (particularly among Black women), eroding social safety nets, mediated surveillance, and declining public trust — as a manifestation of state-sanctioned violence rooted in decades of systemic divestment. The authors call for reimagining public-health communication leadership through a critical matriarchal lens that centers Black women's expertise and lived experience.