Black Culture Wellness in West Garfield Park
JT is proud to partner with community organizations that are raising the vibration in their respective neighborhoods, like the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative.
At JT, we are proud to support our clients on a wide array of issues — many of which concern public health. As our city continues to wrestle COVID-19 and reckon with systemic social barriers, health disparities have never been more apparent.
In Garfield Park, the average lifespan for residents is only 69 years of age, which is 16 years less than the average lifespan of those living in the Loop and Near North Side. We are proud to partner with the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative, who are tackling this disparity and boosting health and wellness on Chicago’s West Side.
The Collaborative is a first-of-its kind common table of community activists, health experts and organizations, all with the same goal of revitalizing the health, wealth and culture in their community. They have already stood behind important initiatives in Garfield Park, such as creating The Plaza, a new roller rink situated in the historically underserved business district of the neighborhood, and advocating for a community-led grocer in the middle of a food desert.
In a community where 94% of residents are Black, the GPRWC knows the traditional, white-centered approach to wellness would not fulfill its residents’ needs. This is why every facet of their work is rooted in Black Culture Wellness, a concept that promotes the idea that the uninhibited, authentic expression of Black culture will lead to healing, healthy behaviors and improved wellness for Black people.
Garfield Park residents got a glimpse of Black Culture Wellness in action at the Collaborative’s kickoff event earlier this month, which offered free fitness, nutrition and parenting classes at The Golden Dome in Garfield Park. Classes included Afro-beat fitness, African drumming, kickboxing and even chair workouts for senior attendees.
“Chair exercise means that we value our elders and we’re going to be intentional about developing exercises that helps them get their blood rate up,” said GPRWC’s first Executive Director, Theodore Crawford. (Chicago Tribune).
These projects were just the beginning for the Collaborative. Today, they are in the midst of bringing their biggest visions to life, one being The Sankofa Village Wellness Center. This center will be a catalytic investment in both physical and mental wellbeing for the Garfield Park community, while also creating an anti-racist and wellness model for other neighborhoods. The Sankofa Village Wellness Center will provide something for everyone, with three zones dedicated to holistic physical and mental health care, community gathering, and financial growth.
Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative is setting the example for community-driven work. After decades of divestment and economic conditions that force poverty, the Collaborative is taking matters into their own hands from the ground-up and engaging with every accessible resident.
“For us, health and wellness is an inside-out job. So not only is it from inside the community or a particular space, it’s also from each individual person, so you want to raise the vibration in every individual,”
JT is proud to partner with community organizations that are raising the vibration in their respective neighborhoods, like the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative. We know that grassroots investments and strong collaboration spur positive systemic change. The work of the Collaborative is Black history in the making. We are proud to support our Black community and celebrate their accomplishments, resilience and culture this month and every month.
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