GirlTREK w/ Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison (Episode 50)

Send us Fan MailWhat do nature, movement, and community all have in common? They improve overall health and wellbeing. And for more than a million Black women in America, GirlTrek is the organization bringing all three together.Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison — the co-founders of GirlTrek — join The Parks Podcast to share how a conversation between two friends became a movement of 1.37 million members, and why Harriet Tubman is the original GirlTrekker.GirlTrek's mission is to increase the life expectancy of Black women by 10 years in 10 years. The numbers are staggering: 61% of members lost weight. 90% experienced fewer symptoms of depression. 59% now walk at life-saving levels — five days a week for 30 minutes. And 56% have sustained a daily walking habit for more than a year.In this episode, Missy, Morgan, and Vanessa talk about: — Why self-care is an act of political warfare (Audre Lorde said it first) — The Joy and Justice Agenda — 10 demands for Black women's health and freedom — The GirlTrek "two as a crew" philosophy and why micro-communities save lives — How GirlTrek has partnered with the National Park Service and Sierra Club to bring Black women to the parks — from Estes Park to Yosemite to Shenandoah — The story of Fannie Lou Hamer — and why she's the blueprint for getting women off the couch — Missy's personal encounter with a GirlTrekker at Lake Mead — and why radical welcome is a core GirlTrek valueSign up and take the pledge at girltrek.org.America. Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison, the co-founders, join The Parks Podcast to share why walking is a radical act of self-care — and how Harriet Tubman was the original GirlTREKker.Links: girltrek.orgSupport the show