When Black women walk, things change. That’s the belief of GirlTrek, a non-profit organization transforming lives through walking.
The organization’s mission is unique: to reclaim their health and bodies as Black women and fight systems that enable poor health — and it’s working.
Over one million GirlTrekkers have hit the streets of their neighborhoods since GirlTrek’s founding in 2010.
“GirlTrek is working to solve the interconnected public health, racial justice and environmental justice crisis impacting Black women today,” says Ebony Andrews, the organization’s national director of strategic programming and production.
Black women are facing a health crisis, Andrews explains. While all women in the United States are more likely to die from heart disease than other causes, Black women are more likely to die from it than white women, according to Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Following heart disease, diabetes and stroke are leading causes of death among Black women. Yet, GirlTrek, which guides its members to walk for 30 minutes a day for five days per week, has seen significant health improvements.