by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
July 29, 2024
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 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,” Kenney explained to Fast Company. “Every child is your child.”
Kenney created Hey Auntie! as a “For Us, By Us” approach to building genuine connections on the internet. After experiencing her own mental health struggles, she saw a need for all Black women to find and rely on each other.
In 2021, Kenney was accepted into a six-month incubator/accelerator to create Hey Auntie! for the Well City Challenge. The program, a social impact partnership between Independence Blue Cross and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, lends support to initiatives focused on health and wellness. Kenney’s idea won first place, which included $50,000 to bring it into fruition.
Hey Auntie!’s 700 members stay connected through biweekly newsletters, peer-to-peer discussions, and frequent Q&As. The platform also offers a matching service that pairs seasoned professionals with women starting their careers.
Kenney wants Hey Auntie! 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,” Kenney said. “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,” Kenney said. “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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