Adipositivity Project Member Remembered

Advocate Ember Osby, who was recently featured in the Adipositivity 2021 calendar, died on Wednesday due to complications from asthma. She was 26 years old.

Earlier this week, Osby became concerned that her asthma was getting worse and sought breathing treatment from her doctors’ office near her home in Los Angeles, CA. While she didn’t get treated at her doctors’ office, she went to the local emergency room to get treatment (which is now given at the ER due to COVID-19). She also received help from friends who read her Facebook post about her medical ordeal.

The St. Louis native was a body positive advocate who was a part of photographer Substantia Jones’ Adipositivity calendar, where she was featured in June 2021 as the sun goddess. Osby also was an artist who sold her wares on Etsy.

“She was a powerful example of body love and fuckyouism,” noted Jones on her Facebook page, when shareing the news about Osby's death on Thursday. “Unfortunately, she was also a powerful example of how Black women—especially fat Black women—are mistreated and ignored by medical professionals,” says Jones. “She couldn’t get doctors to take her fears seriously. Her fears included being a statistic. A Black woman who dies because she’s being ignored.”

Photo courtesy of Substantia Jones of the Adipositivity ProjectPro