The platform helps Black women with their health and wellness through its support network.
Hey, Aunties! A new social platform has arrived to help Black women foster community while also combating loneliness.
Nicole Kenney envisioned Hey Auntie! as a multigenerational source for Black women to support one another. The networking platform promotes kinship among its members, especially as the Black community evolves its digital presence.
“[Hey Auntie!] designates a nurturing relationship that may be biological but is more often what we call a ‘fictive kinship,’ emotionally significant bonds not based on blood or legal ties,” explained Kenney to Fast Company. “Every child is your child.”
Hey Auntie! aims to become a for-profit company, even though it currently offers free subscriptions upon application approval. While Kenney hopes to expand the membership, her main concern is creating a safe space.
“Explosive growth is not part of our ethos: The safety of our community is our utmost priority,” explained Kenney. “As a relationship-building business, we need to protect our digital community from messages of judgment, perfectionism, and cyber violence so often directed at women—especially Black women.”
Kenney will also explore B2B sales alongside a paid subscription in due time. As her next venture, taking on the University of Pennsylvania’s PennHealthX SDoH Accelerator, Hey Auntie! intends to prove its usefulness in improving health and wellness across age groups.
“We aim to demonstrate how multigenerational connection and collaboration is a dynamic force for good,” says Kenney. “And why innovators closest to the challenges should be those closest to designing the solutions.”
Hey Auntie! hosts members worldwide, many of whom are based in its Philadelphia hub, offering a supportive community that validates the experiences of all Black women.
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Source: Black Enterprise
