Black History Bootcamp. S6. Day 5
Thank you, family.
Thank you for making this the most successful quarter on record for the GirlTrek movement.
The numbers are astounding.
The impact is unrivaled.
The receipts are verifiable…
On Tuesday we celebrated our progress during our staff meeting. Gathered on the line were the 90 Coaches who we hired this year as part of a bold new strategy to support our national membership base and the impact of their work is inspiring a revolution. From individual behavior change to the number of neighborhoods with new Crews walking, our organization and the movement it powers are changing the lives of Black women.
We are saving many from an early death. We are teaching new skills and mindsets and establishing new traditions.
It looks like:
779 Neighborhood Crews - sustainable infrastructure - established in the Blackest neighborhoods in America. Our goal this year is 1,000 and you can help us get there by November 30th! Download the Field Guide today to learn how.
It looks like 4,550 service hours delivered in the past two months to support Black communities.
It looks like 912 training walks hosted by coaches, each walk inspiring new leaders to take flight.
And it looks like 2,037,175 downloads of #BlackHistoryBootcamp.
In fact, in our first week of season six, The Neighborhoods Edition, we are on track to draw more than 10,000 people to the pavement for a walk with each episode.
If you are one of those women who joined us this week to hear the heartbreaking story of Earl and Louise Little, celebrate the genius of DJ Kool Herc, talk about the legacy of Africatown, Alabama, and honor the sacrifice of Fannie Lou Hamer, then you know the power of what is going down. Congratulations on putting in the work and prioritizing yourself. You're the Queen of the block and you deserve to celebrate yourself this weekend.
If you haven’t joined us for this Bootcamp, you don’t know what you’re missing. The chills, the feels, the lessons.
This is the most powerful thing happening in the country right now. A liberation classroom on concrete and everybody should plan to be on the pavement with us as we break down the addresses that have housed the story of our culture.
There’s still plenty of time to get in the game. This weekend is your chance to catch up. All four episodes from the first week, Monday - Thursday, are available for download here on Spotify. And below is a preview of today’s episode, which will air live at Noon, ET. Dial: 1 (646) 876-9923 CODE: 734464325 to join.
Day 5
“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
- Micah 6:8
The Address: 5466 Gregg Street
The Story: This is not a story about high-falutin Black folks who earned enough money and privilege to vacation on exclusive fancy beaches. This is not a story about segregation or what access Black folks were denied. This is not a story about fun in the sun.
It’s a story about faith. About a deeply faithful man named Abraham Lincoln Lewis. A man with an elementary school education. A “race man”, as his granddaughter, the illustrious Dr. Johnetta Betsch Cole called him. A man who was centered in his Blackness. A man who was committed to the ongoing struggle of justice for Black folks.
That commitment not only led him to become Florida’s first Black millionaire, but it led him to found and establish American Beach on Amelia Island as a safe haven and place of respite for Black families.
Today we tell the story of A.L. Lewis and his dream for “relaxation and recreation without humiliation”. It’s a story that includes the sorrow of the enslaved people who were dumped onto the white sand shores of this beach, discarded as contraband and cargo. And it’s a story of the Black families who have claimed this space as theirs for generations, triumphantly building Black wealth and Black love.
End your week on the pavement with us, live today at noon.
Meet us in the Streets: Grab your earbuds, put on your sneakers, and join co-founders Morgan and Vanessa for Black History Bootcamp, a walking podcast powered by GirlTrek. We can’t wait to talk…
Catch up on Spotify podcasts.
Episodes are available after 48 hours.
The Neighborhood Call to Action
Listen: American Beach, A Neighborhood Playlist, Spotify
Watch: Remember American Beach, YouTube
Stream: (With the Family) Sunshine State, Starring Angela Bassett
Support: Edwards Waters College
Organize: Do you live in Florida? Start a Crew in your neighborhood and help GirlTrek takeover the streets with superhero blue healing. Download our Field Guide here or email Christina@girltrek.org for help getting started.
If you want to join the 21-Day Bootcamp and continue to receive these emails, click here. If it is giving you life, forward this and invite a friend.