Black Women For Wellness

BLACK WOMEN FOR WELLNESS IS A MULTI-GENERATIONAL, COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION COMMITTED TO THE WELL-BEING OF BLACK WOMEN AND GIRLS BY BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES THROUGH HEALTH EDUCATION, EMPOWERMENT AND ADVOCACY.

2021 WITNESSED A NUMBER OF PIVOTS WITH THE WORK OF BLACK WOMEN FOR WELLNESS, THOUGH WE ARE STEADFAST WITH OUR MISSION OF UPLIFTING THE LIVES, VOICES, EXPERIENCE AND HEALTH STATUS OF BLACK WOMEN AND GIRLS. FOOD INSECURITY INCREASES EXPONENTIALLY DURING 2021 AND OUR UMBRELLA PROGRAM SISTERS IN MOTION WERE OUR KITCHEN DIVAS AND THE DIABETES PREVENTION PROGRAM LIVES, BEGAN A FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM, GIVING PRODUCE, DRY GOODS AND A HOT MEAL 2X PER MONTH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. BWW KITCHEN DIVA FOOD PROGRAM IS SERVING 125-150 FAMILIES WITH EACH FOOD DISTRIBUTION DATE. COMMUNITY MEMBERS, CATERERS AND FARMERS ARE ALL ENGAGED WITH PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION. OUR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND VOTER EDUCATION OUTREACH TEAM COVERED THE FIELD, WITH CANVASSERS, PHONE BANKERS AND TEXT TEAM MEMBERS ENGAGING COMMUNITY MEMBERS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, SHARING INFORMATION ON SIGNED POLICY (DIGNITY IN PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH, MOMNIBUS FOR EXAMPLE), ELECTED AND APPOINTED ADMINISTRATOR ACCOUNTABILITY. PHONE CALLS, TEXTING, ORGANIZING ZOOM HOUSE PARTIES, PUBLISHING VOTER EDUCATION AND SOCIAL MEDIA WERE ALL STRATEGIES UTILIZED IN REACHING MORE THAT 200K PEOPLE. YES, MORE THAN 200K PEOPLE WERE TOUCHED VIA OUR VREAM TEAM WITH VOTER EDUCATION, GET OUT THE VOTE, ACCOUNTABILITY AND MATERNAL AND INFANT HEALTH MESSAGES. INTERNET QUILT KEEPS PACE WITH THE CYBER WORLD THROUGH WWW.BWWLA.ORG, MANY SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS (FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, LINKED IN & ALIGNABLE) AND COMMUNICATES WITH OUR COMMUNITY VIA A WEEKLY ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER. OUR COMBINED COMMUNICATIONS REACH SURPASSES THE 500K VIA THE ANALYTICS FROM GOOGLE. SISTERS IN CONTROL REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE PROGRAM SUPPORTS POLICY, UTILIZES PROGRAM, WORKS WITH ADVISORY COUNCILS, COMMISSIONS AND BOARDS TO SECURE REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS. BWW PROVIDED BACKBONE SUPPORT TO THE AFRICAN AMERICAN INFANT & MATERNAL MORTALITY COMMUNITY ACTION TEAM OF SOUTH LOS ANGELES / SOUTH BAY IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY. THROUGH THIS WORK WE SERVED 60 BIRTHING PEOPLE, OFFERED PRESENTATIONS AND FACILITATED MEETINGS FOR MORE THAN 400 PEOPLE. BLACK WOMEN FOR WELLNESS ORGANIZED PROGRAMS THROUGHOUT LOS ANGELES COUNTY IN CELEBRATION OF BLACK MOMMA'S WEEK , BREAST FEEDING MONTH, VIRTUALITY AND WITH PROGRAM SERVICES RESOURCES. GET SMART B4U GET SEXY (GS B4U GS) SUPPORTS PEER ADVOCATES SHIFTING ATTITUDES ON SEX AND SEXUALITY THROUGH COMPREHENSIVE SEX AND SEXUALITY EDUCATION, PROMOTING SMART AS SEXY AND MAKINGS SEX SMART. 100 YOUTH PARTICIPATED WITH GET SMART B4U GET SEXY PROGRAM WORK VIA ON LINE WORKSHOPS. SOCIAL MEDIA POSTINGS INCREASED BY 3000 VIEWS ON INSTAGRAM. HIV/AIDS PREVENTION EDUCATION RESEARCH PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH UCLA PIVOT TO IMPLEMENTING GROWN N SEXY, REACHING APPROXIMATELY 10 PER WOMEN PER MONTH DURING 2021 REACHING 120 WOMEN. BLACK WOMEN FOR WELLNESS SERVED AS THE BACKBONE ORGANIZATION FOR THE SOUTH LOS ANGELES AFRICAN AMERICAN INFANT & MATERNAL MORTALITY COMMUNITY ACTION TEAM, WITH MORE THAN 60 COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND ACTIVIST'S PARTICIPATION, OUR SUPPORT OF THE COALITION IS BUILDING CAPACITY OF GRASSROOTS LEADERS TO SHIFT CULTURAL SURROUNDING BLACK MATERNAL AND INFANT HEALTH. STAND LA (STANDING TOGETHER AGAINST NEIGHBORHOOD DRILLING LOS ANGELES) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ENGAGES, EDUCATES AND EMPOWERS COMMUNITY MEMBERS ON THE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF LIVING NEAR OIL DRILLING SITES TO STAND UP/SPEAK OUT WITH LOCAL, STATE AND NATIONAL APPOINTED AND ELECTED PERSONNEL THAT MAKE DECISIONS SURROUNDING OIL DRILLING SITES. PHONE BANKS, OUTREACH, BUILDING ALLIES REACHED APPROXIMATELY 1200 PARTICIPANTS TO PARTICIPATE WITH AN VIRAL TOUR OF LOS ANGELES TOXIC SITES. TAKING STOCK/HEALTHY HAIR INITIATIVE CONDUCTS COMMUNITY DRIVEN RESEARCH BY WORKING WITH BEAUTY PROFESSIONALS, HAIR STYLIST AND NAIL TECHNICIANS STUDYING THE IMPACT OF CHEMICAL USE ON HEALTH STATUS. BWW TEAM ENROLLED 35 WOMEN IN OUR RESEARCH PROJECT. PROGRAM STAFF BEGAN A PROJECT ACTIVITY BEHIND THE CHAIR, GIVING ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO THE BEAUTY PROFESSIONALS IN THE BLACK COMMUNITY. BEHIND THE CHAIR ORGANIZED 15 BEAUTY SALONS AND HONORED 5 HIGH PROFILE HAIR STYLISTS WORKING IN LOS ANGELES, AND APPROXIMATELY 80 PEOPLE ATTENDED THE AWARD PARTY WHERE EDUCATION AND REFRESHMENTS WERE SHARED. BLACK WOMEN FOR WELLNESS ANNUAL REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE CONFERENCE BLACK WOMEN UNAPOLOGETICALLY BLACK EXPLORING IN DEPTH THE PLACES WHERE BLACK WOMEN'S VOICES, INSIGHT AND ACTION IS NEEDED TO INCREASE ACCESS TO, DELIVERY OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE ATTRACTED APPROXIMATELY REGISTRANTS. OUR VIRTUAL CONFERENCE HAD MORE THAN 500 VIEWS VIA WHOVA APPLICATION AND MORE THAN 1000 VIEWS VIA FACEBOOKBWW CONTINUES TO PRODUCE EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL ON A VARIETY OF SUBJECTS INCLUDING, VOTER EDUCATION, TOXIC CHEMICALS, REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH STATUS, HEALTHY COOKING AND RESEARCH ON BLACK WOMEN'S AND GIRLS' HEALTH.

SISTERS IN MOTION (SIM) IMPLEMENTS WELLNESS WEDNESDAY, BE WELL SERIES AND PUBLISHES BWW WELLNESS GUIDE. THROUGH THESE PROGRAMS/PUBLICATION WE REACH MORE THAN 8500 PEOPLE. THE DIABETES PREVENTION PROGRAM RAN ONE SERIES WITH 8 PEOPLE OVER THE COURSE OF 2021. SIM SERVED 11, 296 PEOPLE DURING 2021 VIA PRESENTATIONS (ZOOM), FOOD DISTRIBUTION, NEWSLETTERS, WELLNESS GUIDES AND VIA SOCIAL MEDIA.

SISTERS @ EIGHT, OUR MONTHLY COMMUNITY FORUM HELD 11 COMMUNITY FORUMS WITH A TOTAL ATTENDANCE OF 387 PEOPLE. ALL FORUMS TOOK PLACE VIA ZOOM, AND STREAMING LIVE ON FACEBOOK, WITH 5,872 PEOPLE VIEWING ON LINE AND/OR DOWNLOADING THE WEBINARS. STAFF MEMBERS PARTICIPATED IN A SERIES OF RESILIENCE WORKSHOPS WEEKLY, 23 STAFF MEMBERS ATTENDED THESE WORKSHOPS. SELF-CARE WITH STAFF, MEMBERS AND KEY STAKEHOLDERS WERE CRITICAL DURING 2021