Sometimes we all need a reminder that a simple walk around the neighborhood is good for our health, and connects us with our community.

Walk it off

GirlTrek is the largest public health nonprofit that supports African-American women and girls in the United States.

GirlTrek was founded by T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison.

Dixon began thinking of a bare-bones version of the organization while teaching high school history in Atlanta, Georgia in the early 2000s, reports Glamour. While teaching, she discovered the following statistic:

“Half of all black girls in America born after the year 2000 would be diagnosed with Type II diabetes in their lifetime unless a change was made to activity levels,” reports Glamour.

Garrison liked the idea of the organization, but felt that the only way this particular health crisis could be addressed was if Garrison got the girls’ mothers involved on a national level.

Making an organization

When the duo first formed GirlTrek, the organization was essentially a “local hiking club,” reports Glamour. Now, though, the organization has “more than 100,000 participants” who pound “the pavement in chapters across the country,” adds Glamour.

The organization’s overall mission is the following.

“[We will] heal our bodies, inspire our daughters, and reclaim the streets of our neighborhoods.”

Taking it to the TED level

Dixon and Garrison eventually transformed their grand idea into a TED talk. The Talk happened in April 2017. It focused on the fact that most healthy living programs are too focused on women getting the “perfect” beach-ready bikini body. In the Talk, the women also focused on how fitness solutions focus on “superficial solutions that ‘dont acknowledge systematic racism’,” explains Garrison.

It just takes 30 minutes

That’s right. The women of GirlTrek only ask that women and girls stick to one 30 minute walk a day.

This seemingly small amount of exercise can do wonders for people and the communities they live in.

“We knew 30 minutes of walking was radical for a woman with two jobs, who has kids, whose husband may or may not be in the home because he may or may not be affected by systemic or racial injustice and violence,” says Garrison.

Thankfully, GirlTrek is planning on expanding their organization’s reach; they’d like to get one million women walking.

“We want to create a new culture of healthy communities, and we need a critical mass,” says Garrison.

Glamour adds that the organization is “targeting the 50 most high-need communities in the rural South and Midwest”. This area is also known as “the obesity belt”; it’s acquired this name because it doesn’t have many healthy food options

The organization also is looking toward the future.

GirlTrek is launching Black Girl Healing; this program will “train women as fitness instructors and nutrition specialists,” adds Glamour. These women will then “lead free classes in parks, healing circles on college campuses, and grocery store walks”.

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Black women are too often disrespected by the beauty industry and the world at large.

This disrespect comes in many forms. Sometimes, it’s in microaggression form — like when a white woman thinks it’s okay to touch a black woman’s hair because it’s “stylish”. Other times, it’s in a racist form — like when an app adds a blackface filter. And then there are the times when disrespect turns into legit assault and disregard for human life.

The beauty industry is the problem

Unfortunately, 2017 is fraught with instances where people unintentionally — and quite often intentionally — fetishize black looks and styles.

For example, a makeup artist recently did something that she called the “Chocolate Challenge” to “celebrate” women from various cultures. As if the title of the challenge wasn’t enough to make one’s skin crawl, the artist continued her “challenge” by transforming a white model via blackface.

Then, Jeffree Star launched a makeup campaign that featured a light-skinned model’s “deliberately darkened” skin. And let’s not forget that Kim Kardashian’s KKQ beauty promo photo showed her “several shades darker than usual,” Teen Vogue recently reported.

Why the beauty industry fetishizes black women

Dr. Dina Strachan, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City with a faculty appointment at NYU, explains that this type of oversight in the beauty industry happens because people fetishize what they lack. And the beauty industry under presents black women. (Perhaps this is why cosmetics for black women are more toxic.)

“It is hard to represent and protect what one is unfamiliar with,” Dr. Strachan says.

When more black women are bosses, mistreatment could stop. That’s when black women could help expand the perspective and advocate for their own interests, Strachan explains.

Christian Simone, a lifestyle blogger, adds that within the beauty industry, the desire to appear cool often comes at the expense of black women.

“Black women have often created or set the tempo out of true need and creativity,” she says.

“Being poverty-ridden or unable to find things that speak to us [helped us] create.”

However, when other races noticed this creativity, they took what they liked and shamed the people who created the “look” they praised.

“From taking things, such as cornrows and calling them fish braids, or wearing bamboo earrings and calling it vintage… I believe the black woman has always been the most unwatered fragrant flower that constantly rises,” Simone says.

“At times even our own rip us in order to be seen by other races as acceptable. However, I boldly allow my beauty to shine. A true twirl on your haters.”

The world needs to step up, STAT

Many people don’t take black women seriously. This lack of respect causes many people to treat black women poorly. One truly horrible example of this came to light in the past few weeks.

In 2015, Charneisha Corley got pulled over while running an errand. Corley alleges that “she was then subjected to a public cavity search of her vagina after Harris County officers claimed they smelled marijuana in her car,” Jezebel reports.

Dashcam footage of the altercation was recently released on the website of Sam R. Cammack. Cammack is Corley’s attorney.

The police officers who searched Corley were indicted, but “the charges were dropped in early August… [this] is what prompted the video’s release on Cammack’s website,” Jezebel reports. (And according to Fox 26, the officers involved in the incident are still working for the department, although they are on administrative duty.)

Why this keeps happening

Dr. Strachan points out that the dehumanization of black women’s bodies is part of American history — it’s nothing new. “Think of how black women were treated during slavery — [they were] raped, beaten, wet nursing the children of their captors, bought and sold.”

Simone adds that black women are financially, emotionally, and mentally taken advantage of, too. “The mental confusion that haunts the black woman from her appearance to how she interacts with the world is damning,” she explains.

“The pressure of making sure one doesn’t appear [as] anything but acceptable to others is hard… Other races believe they are better. Other minorities don’t want to associate [because] they don’t want to fight the status quo.”

After all, when a human is not seen as a valid person, it’s easy for others to dehumanize them.

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I don’t think anyone would be shocked by Chris Rock’s recent commentary concerning black actors, comedians and women in Hollywood. And to those who are shocked – it’s time to listen.

In early December 2014, Rock penned a piece for the Hollywood Reporter that discusses the how Hollywood is a “white industry,” Hollywood’s strange infrastructure, and about Hollywood’s “racial double standard” when it comes to casting black actors in roles.

Rock on black comedians

Rock points out that most young black comedians don’t have the resources or connections that many young white comedians have. He makes an example by describing the role he played in getting Leslie Jones on Saturday Night Live.

On white people in LA

He describes how it’s just kind of “accepted” that Mexicans work for white people in Hollywood. He said that it’s an odd acceptance that he’s never seen anywhere else. He points out that most Mexicans work in white people’s homes, or perform labor jobs. Rock says:

“You’re telling me no Mexicans are qualified to do anything at a studio? Really? Nothing but mop up? What are the odds that that’s true? The odds are, because people are people, that there’s probably a Mexican David Geffen mopping up for somebody’s company right now.”

On black women

Rock points out that black women are missing from some of the top films and shows in Hollywood. He also says their absence makes no sense. Most roles, after all, don’t have to be played by white women – race really shouldn’t matter, but for some reason, it still does. He makes his point quite clearly by saying that nearly every white woman was up for the role of Colin Farrell’s wife in the upcoming season of “True Detective.” He says: “I didn’t hear one black girl’s name on those lists. Not one.”

You can read Jezebel’s take on the essay here, and the original op-ed piece over at the Hollywood Reporter.

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If you caught Lupita Nyong’o at the Oscars, you were probably impressed with her gracious speech. But it pales in comparison to the one she gave at Essence’s Black Women in Hollywood awards. Be prepared for a jaw-dropping and inspiring five minutes.

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

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