GirlTrek: A Million Black Women Walking to Heal

Founded in 2010 by childhood friends T. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison, GirlTrek grew from a two-woman pact into the largest public health nonprofit for Black women and girls in the United States. Members take a pledge to walk 30 minutes a day, five days a week, and many go on to train as community health organizers who push for safer sidewalks, parks and neighborhoods. A 2019 member survey found large majorities reporting weight loss, reduced depression symptoms and lower medication use after joining. GirlTrek's stated goal is to add 10 years to Black women's average life expectancy within 10 years, using walking as the entry point to a wider health-justice movement.