A concerning trend has presented itself in the United States: as obesity rates are rising, life expectancy is declining, and this change has become most prominent for African American women. According to the American Heart Association, Black women are more likely to die at a younger age than women of other ethnicities due to related health issues. Vanessa Garrison and T. Morgan Dixon have created GirlTrek, a nonprofit, to help Black women stay healthy and empowered through the act of walking.
Dixon told CNN that she and Garrison didn’t start the nonprofit out of love for walking. Instead, it was a necessity for them.
“It wasn’t because we were walking enthusiasts or because we love to walk. When we started we were just trying to save our own lives,” Dixon said. “How do we not fall into these pitfalls that
our mothers and our aunts and our grandmothers have fallen into? Eighty percent of us are overweight and carrying that weight is killing us now at disproportionate levels. We can’t do it anymore. We can’t carry it anymore.”GirlTrek was started in 2010, and now in 2024, when being active is more important than ever, over 1,370,000 members have joined and formed their own walking teams across America. GirlTrek members pledge to walk 30 minutes a day, usually with a group of other women, to help fight obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other related health issues.
Dixon and Garrison took inspiration from the women of the civil rights movement to guide the principal goals and even the routes that participants are inspired to take on their walks. They even host nationwide events that follow historic pathways like the“100 miles to Freedom” of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway and the “Road to Selma,” which followed the Selma to Montgomery march.
GirlTrek’s growing reach comes at a time when it’s needed most. Recent research has revealed that more than half of Black women over 20 have heart disease. The same age group suffers the highest risk for strokes, and 3 out of 5 Black women are obese.
Garrison expressed to the news outlet that she believes GirlTrek is doing more than just helping Black women be healthier; it is also helping them overcome a “cultural mindset” to improve their quality of life.
“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 know how to navigate this world and get by. We created entire identities around our service to others,” Garrison told CNN.
“And I tell you it is OK for you to put yourself first today for these 30 minutes, and then, in fact, when you do, your family becomes more powerful, your community becomes more powerful.”
She added, “That is actually how you shift the entire dynamic of a culture by creating the habits that get passed from one generation to another.”
GirlTrek is beneficial not only for physical health but also for mental health. Dixon has noticed that many of these assembled walking groups have doubled as support groups.
“Women who are alone or women who are suffering any kind of depression or anxiety or stress can walk, talk, and slow down with friends. And that act of slowing down is radical,” she explained.
The sense of community and empowerment powered by Black history helps GirlTrek members stay motivated.
“We know that when Black women walk, things change, and that we walk in the footsteps of that legacy.” Garrison said, “And when we tell that story to women, they see themselves in those names. They see themselves as the next Ella Baker, the next Fannie Lou Hamer, the next Septima Clark, the next Harriet Tubman, and they are inspired by their history to start walking and create change in their communities…and themselves.”