Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is to walk it out. GirlTREK, a national walking group and the largest health movement for Black women in the country can attest to that. For over ten years GirlTREK has existed at the intersection of sisterhood, healing and liberation, merging exercise with social justice initiatives. This summer has been no different. One of the organization’s latest initiatives, a collaborative community health walk in Chicago with the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a literal manifestation of what the organization was built for. Garnering over 500 attendees, the event provided the opportunity for free skin cancer screenings, access to meditation and mindfulness exercises, and engaging youth games. Among the community members who were in attendance was Swin Cash, a WNBA legend and Barbara Bush, Senior Vice President of Social Impact and Inclusion for the National Basketball Association (NBA). Members of GirlTREK and the greater community indulged in a morning filled with movement, garnering the chance to connect as a community for the greater good of Black women’s health.
When co-founders Vanessa Renae and Tanya Morgan Dixon M.ED embarked on their quest to organize a space where Black women could walk, talk, and solve problems as a collective, events like the community health walk serve as an amalgamation of their vision. Now, the mission is only getting bigger, while the organization’s reach continues to expand. “At GirlTREK, we organize Black women to walk, talk, and solve problems together as a strategy to fight the three deadly I’s — inactivity, isolation, and injustice. Walking is just the beginning,” Renae told EBONY. “As women walk together, they build trusted relationships, identify the challenges facing their neighborhoods, and organize to solve them.” The practice of Black women uniting for the purpose of our collective betterment isn’t new — but it doesn’t dilute the practice’s impact on the quality of our lives. Linking arms to address the challenges that affect our community is the embodiment of how collectivity enhances our power. It’s a tradition that has stood the test of time.
“The impact of GirlTREK is best told through the stories of our members. We’ve seen women get off medications, reverse chronic health conditions, lose weight, and reclaim their physical and mental health through the simple act of walking. But the impact goes far beyond individual health,” Renae said. GirlTREK is continuing to grow in the form of Walking Crews across the country that serve as hubs of tangible support for each other. The Black women that make up each group are supporting each other through life’s peaks and valleys, while personifying an example for the next generation of what community togetherness is. Beyond the walking, these women are taking a vested interest in the neighborhoods they occupy by advocating for environmental improvements like safer streets, better parks, and healthier public spaces. “That’s the real impact. Health is where the journey begins, but community, leadership, and lasting change are what we’ve built together,” Renae stated.
Getting involved with GirlTREK is as simple as downloading the app available in both the app store and Google Play. The app is a tool to assist you with connecting to groups in your area and get you started on your first walk.