Black Women for Wellness

In 2023 bww hosted and participated in several in person events and gatherings to promote and engage in supporting the upliftment of the lives, voices, experiences, health status and wellbeing of Black Women and girls. Bww staff worked with community members and volunteers, community health professionals, cbos, civic leaders to create awareness, build power and advocate for systems change. Through these efforts, approximately 95,000 people were reached through events, programming, and community outreach and engagement. There are approximately 292,000 followers on social media and 221,413 visits to the bww website.food insecurity continued to increase exponentially during 2023 and the bww kitchen divas food distribution program was offered to the community, giving fresh fruit and produce 2x per month throughout the year to approximately 150 families. Our civic engagement team which covered 70 community events and the field included, community health outreach workers, canvassers, text and phone bank team members focused on engaging community members throughout the year, sharing information to promote voter education and participation to increase the electoral and political power of Black Women during and between elections, providing educational information and registration resources to residents about cal fresh benefits, foster youth tax credit and housing related opportunities in la county, increasing support for the phase out of the inglewood oil fields, gathering community feedback about reparations, affordable housing, housing as a human right, and the recent centinela hospital maternity ward closure while significantly working to increase bww supporter network. From these strategies and various program events we were able to reach more than 350k people. 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 surpassed 500k people via data and analytics from google and social media. Sisters in control reproductive justice (scrj) program continues to support policy, utilizes programs, works with advisory councils, commissions and boards to secure reproductive justice for Women and girls. Bww continued to serve on several coalitions, roundtables, alliances, task forces such as the african american infant & maternal mortality community action team of south los angeles/south bay in los angeles county that worked with more than 75 community-based organizations and rj activists to build the capacity of grassroots leaders to shift cultural narratives surrounding Black maternal and infant health. These efforts resulted in the release of the (centering Black moms report) centering Black mothers in California: insights into racism, health, and well-being for Black Women and infants report and the report on healthcare facilities and the California dignity in pregnancy and childbirth act.through this work we served 2,540 Black birthing people and their families throughout la county, while engaging approximately 15,280 health care professionals, community and civic leaders and reproductive justice organizers through presentations and facilitated meetings. Black Women for Wellness organized programs throughout los angeles county in celebration of Black momma's week, breastfeeding month, mother's day, reproductive justice and rights, community health and domestic violence with program services and resources highlighting birthing people's rights. Through the work of the stockton office, we were able to play a pivotal role in the development of the centering Black mothers report in California and advocate for the release of the report to the public. Through collaborations with planned parenthood marmonte and the sex ed equity (s.e.e.) Project, 50 young Women between the ages of 15-19 were educated about healthy choices through the power through choices (ptc) curriculum and the plan a intervention program. The stockton team also hosted the first annual san joaquin county Black maternal health symposium in collaboration with perinatal equity initiatives (pei) organizations for over 100 participants. 6 Women participated in the diabetes prevention program(dpp) using the lifestyles change curriculum, where they collectively lost 80 pounds and lowered their a1c. Lastly, 720 boxes of food were delivered to families and individuals who had experienced food insecurity.get smart b4u get sexy (gs b4u gs) supported peer advocates in shifting attitudes on sex and sexuality through comprehensive sex and sexuality education, promoting smart as sexy and making sex smart, by engaging with more than 895 youth in the get smart b4u get sexy program work via online and in person workshops, hosting a rites of passage for Black girls, as well as conducting a comprehensive sexual health survey, that engaged 281 Black youth to garner feedback regarding their needs around sexual health and hosted 3 focus group discussions with 45 Black youth & young adults on "understanding the sexual health needs of Black youth: a comprehensive study of cultural norms, communication channels, and lived experiences," highlighting our dedication to incorporating research findings into actionable next steps for the community.webpage and social media postings increased by more than 1600 views. Partnership with planned parenthood and wecanstopstdsla contributed to our community reach highlighting our aids/hiv prevention education and research program. Bww environmental justice program has two focus areas: built environment and beauty justice. The built environment work was centered around engaging in coalitions and alliances to build power to eliminate neighborhood oil drilling, advocate for water equity in south la, address the lifecycle of plastic pollution and promote green social housing. Through these engagements we saw the la county board of supervisors vote to eliminate oil drilling, a bww water guide was created, a bww plastics pollution tri-fold was created, toxic tours and earth day events were hosted, and a ej fellowship was created to provide a career pathway for Black Women into the environmental justice field. The beauty justice work was centered around engaging in coalitions and alliances to build power to address and eliminate toxic chemicals in beauty products through the taking stock research initiative, occupational health and Wellness of salon workers and the Black beauty project, where we saw a menstrual products journal article accepted, a Black hair care survey completed & paper written and an exposed publication released, 80 hair salons engaged, 3 tox talks, taking stock year one report completed and taking stock year 2 program started and 3 breast health events happened.through this work there was participation in 11 coalitions and alliances over 2,500 people were engaged at 70 activities that included virtual webinars, in-person events, presentations and conferences at educational institutions, community centers and community based organizations. Approximately 15,000 people were engaged through canvassing efforts and phone banking efforts. Black Women for Wellness hosted its annual reproductive justice conference with 120+ participants focusing on "healing from our past, protecting our present, and preparing for our future" offering power talks about civil rights & human rights, reparations, climate change and affirmative action while sharing info and hosting discussions about Black men's mental health and their involvement in the birthing process, maternal infant health crises, sexual intimacy, health and safer sex, reproductive life planning, healthy fashion, breast health and domestic violence and intimate partner violence to uplift the fact that Black Women and girls have the fundamental right to bodily autonomy, each woman, irrespective of her circumstances, deserves respectful and comprehensive reproductive health and the support of their families. Bww 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.

The sisters @ eight program held 12 community forums and 4 seasonal equinox and solstice gatherings for members and volunteers with a total attendance of 500. These forums took place in person at a local community center and foundation gathering space. Bww staff members hosted and facilitated panel discussions about racial justice issues, heart health, international Women's day, Black maternal health, centering the Wellness and joy of Black mothers and maternal figures, Black men of the community, the value of our elders, reproductive justice, plastic pollution, breast health awareness and mental health. At our year end winter holidays and solstice celebration, more than 25 staff members, members and volunteers participated in self-care with painting and a celebratory meal to close out 2023.

Sisters in motion, where our kitchen divas cooking demo program, body matters and movement, healing circles, stop the hate and Wellness guide distribution lives, engaged 10,259 community members via in person and virtual(zoom) programs, newsletters and social media engagements. Bww staff, volunteers, community members, chefs and farmers are all engaged with program implementation.