Inspired by Lakeisha Shurn, I went on two 100 day challenges; one in 2015 and another in 2016, where I exercised for 100 days straight.
I was exercising and moving, but I was doing it all in solitary. That was, until I found GirlTrek. Or as I like to think, Girltrek found me.
October 2016, I had never attended an GirlTrek walk, but on a whim, I co-organized a walk with another Philly Trekker. From that time, I have had the opportunity to participate and organize several GirlTrek events including 5k walks, an “We are Harriet” event, and continued weekly walks in West Philadelphia.
GirlTrek has provided for me the sisterhood that I have needed in my time of healing. With a community of sense, GirlTrek gives to me what I hope that it gives other women, and that is a sense of friendship, solidarity and a body of other women who are seeking to walk to their personal health in a collective arm of other Black women.
GirlTrek is the verb to my healing.
As healing has to be honest. It has to be able to make you uncomfortable with the pain that you are living within the moment.
The beautiful part about GirlTrek is that you do not have to get to those healing places alone. You have sisters.
This notion of togetherness has allowed me to have a deeper love of sisterhood and a deeper love and value of myself. I have come to understand much better that we can create love and sisterhood whenever we are, whether that is walking as a solo trekker, or with your church, or with other Black Women wearing superhero blue on a Saturday. We are all walking for our personal and collective freedom of health in valuing ourselves to sustain us in both times of lack and times of plenty.
Iresha Picot-Wagner, M.Ed, LBS is a Philly GirlTrekker. Iresha is a Licensed Behavior Specialist and Outpatient Mental Health Therapist, and is the co-editor of the book, “The Color of Hope: People of Color Mental Health Narratives. Iresha is also a birth doula and her website is www.52ndstreetdoula.com
BlackDoctor.org is excited for this content partnership with GirlTrek to feature #BlackGirlHealing, an initiative created to document the narratives, struggles and successes of Black women on the journey to living their healthiest, most fulfilled lives through the habit of daily walking. This initiative will further the mission of decreasing health disparities and stigma among women and girls, and further the conversation that self care is a revolutionary act of love. Join the movement at www.girltrek.org.
See #BlackGirlHealing in action at #TEDMED2017!