more Black women don’t cycle. I can’t speak for all Black women, but for me it was access. It wasn’t something in my mind to do, but it was something that I enjoyed. So, I had this idea to wear a jersey, and bikers usually tend to wear jerseys with little things on them, and I wanted to get me a jersey that says ‘Black Girls Ride Bikes Too.’ I looked it up and found a group called Black Girls Do Bike, and they had chapters in cities that have more Black people. I told my friend that after my first season of biking, I wanted to start a chapter here. My friend, Dayna, and I started a Black Girls Do Bike chapter in Des Moines. I stepped away from that after a year and then I cam across another organization called Girl Trek. It’s a national movement for Black women to get them moving. This got me thinking that this more than just about walking. I really wanted to address issues, so I wanted to get to the roots of what really is going on.” Q: What events and resources do you offer? A: “We have a Facebook page. We have a couple of Facebook groups. We have a members only group and that is for those ladies who choose to support us through membership. It’s more of an accountability group where we post more personal things such as workouts and words of encouragement. We have an outreach group called I am my Sista’s Keeper and that’s for women within the community who have chosen to not become members but still want access to resources and information. Over the summer, we lead walks all throughout the community. It’s a safe space for Black women to walk. We walk for about 30 minutes, sometimes longer. We provide programs such as a Pretty in Pink walk back in October. This was a breast cancer walk, and had some speakers such as doctor from Mercy One and a breast cancer survivor. The day before, we had speakers talking about Policies, Healthcare, and the Black Family.” Q: What does the future look like for BW4HL? A: “We are in the process of starting a Black women’s health coalition. We are connecting with other people from the community, including college students and practitioners to be able to build this bridge between practitioners and Black women, so that we can have For more information on Black Women 4 Healthy Living, go to www.info.bw4hl.org. Follow Black Women 4 Healthy Living on: Instagram: @bw4hl2020 Twitter: @BW4HL2020 Facebook: Black Women 4 Healthy Living Black women to seeing doctors and taking care of themselves. We are also hoping to utilize students from DMACC and Grand View so they can start getting practicing with Black women and becoming culturally competent. That is something we are working on for 2022.” Q: How do you make time to run a non-profit while managing a home and work life? A: “Right now, I am working on balance. It is a lot and I had to adjust. I try to do things in the morning. I do most of my stuff during the weekends which means that my weekend is unlike other people’s weekends.” Q: Do you have any messages for Black women? Future leaders in the community? A: “I would say to younger Black women today is to take care of yourself. Take care of yourself in all things. It’s good to take care of other people, but you got to put your oxygen mask on before you can take care of anyone else. Make sure you have rhythm in your life. Make a routine about how you carry yourself. If you’re looking to become a leader, start following. Get involved in organizations that are doing the kind of work that you are interested in doing. I am involved with the Women of the NAACP group. Find opportunities to volunteer with community events. Attend those events. If you want to start a non-profit, attend the non-profit boot camp through the financial empowerment center.” Q: Any upcoming events we should know about? A: “In January, we will be having our Black women health coalition. In November, we will have our general board meeting that is a retreat. It will focus on team building and electing new position holders if necessary. We will be taking a break in December.”
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