Today I speak with Chimere Smith, writer and activist on behalf of Black women in America with Long COVID.

Chimére L. Smith is a writer and thought leader who has appeared on MSNBC Live with Craig Melvin, The Washington Post, Medium, and on PBS NewsHour. Since June 2020, she has used her social media platforms, engagement in grass-root Covid-19 support groups (notably Body Politic and BIPOC Women Long Covid “Long Hauler” Support Group), and strong media presence to raise awareness about the importance of Black voices in conversations on the prevention, treatment, and research of Long Covid in urban communities. In December 2020, she was a featured patient-led panelist at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) workshop on Post-Acute Covid. Chimére is an independent member of The Long Covid Alliance and a recently-appointed board member of Body Politic. In April 2021, Smith was praised for her heart-wrenching and brazen testimony during a bipartisan Congressional hearing on Long Covid after becoming the first Black woman to detail her Long Covid experience.