👟 Let's take a walk

It's no secret that Americans are facing an obesity and health crisis. But while life expectancy has declined nationwide, the health crisis has disproportionately affected African-American women.

• More than half of Black women ages 20 and older have heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.
• This same population is also at the highest risk for strokes. The CDC reports nearly 3 out of 5 Black women suffer from high blood pressure, and 3 out of 5 Black women suffer from obesity.

Finding hope through health: While these statistics may be discouraging, friends Vanessa Garrison and T. Morgan Dixon decided over a decade ago not to let them define their health. The friends founded the nonprofit GirlTrek, an organization with one goal in mind: To heal Black women through walking. 

• “It wasn’t because we were walking enthusiasts or because we love to walk," T. Morgan shared about the organization's humble beginnings. "When we started, we were just trying to save our own lives." 
• Fast-forward to today, and GirlTrek has over one million members across the country dedicated to taking control of their health and futures. 

The playbook handbook: GirlTrek encourages its members to get out and walk for 30 minutes/day. They have more than 1,000 organizers who put together community walks and sisterhood events as part of the mission.

• “Women are connecting with their neighbors, their friends, the women at their church, the women on campuses, and when you walk you talk,” T. Morgan told CNN.
• GirlTrek has also morphed in part into a support community, where women who are alone or suffering any kind of depression/anxiety/stress can walk, talk, and slow down with friends.
• The organization and its walkers also find inspiration in heroines like Harriet Tubman. Walkers receive Harriet’s Handbook, which provides 1,000 walks and a step-by-step guide to help women stay motivated.

Leaving a legacy... “We grew up in households where our mothers and grandmothers and our aunties always chose to come last; they would always push those extra couple of hours to give to their family. And we’ve modeled that behavior and, in fact, we celebrated that behavior and it is the only way we knew how to navigate this world and get by. We created entire identities around our service to others,” Garrison told CNN. 

🥾 Bottom line: “...I tell you it is OK for you to put yourself first today for this 30 minutes and then in fact when you do that your family becomes more powerful, your community becomes more powerful.”