Growing
Critical Mass Health Conductors
By Colette Winlock
This is part 2 in
a series of 3 articles focused on the Critical
Mass Health Conductors (CMHC).
A Bay Area
regional movement of African-Americans is focused
on changing ourselves and our communities to
become places of wholeness and wellness through
the Critical Mass Health Conductors or CHMC program.
This
month starts the second CMHC Training Journeys
in Alameda, San Mateo, San Francisco and Solano
counties. The project is inspired by Harriet Tubman,
conductor of the Underground Railroad. Her determination
to free herself and others instructs the many African-
Americans involved with the CMHC project.
In 2004, The Bay Area Black United Fund’s executive
director, Dr. Woody Carter, commissioned Dr. Melanie Tervalon to pilot the
Health Conductor Training project for 30 people. The first public offering
was held in Oakland in February 2005. CMHC is now looking at over 450 people
who have gone through the training journey and is racing to recruit 4,650 African-Americans
to become Health Conductors by 2010, one percent of the African-American population
in the Bay Area.
As a people, ever since our ancestors first arrived in North
America, we have worked to find our way back to wholeness. We are dying too
fast, too young, and often times unnecessarily. Public health reports continue
to show that we fail over 75 percent of the health indicators that are standard
in these reports.
This is happening in the Bay Area and across the nation.
This is yet another continuation of many black movements, except, this time
it’s focused on our health - mind, body, and spirit; about how we feel
mentally and emotionally. It’s about reclaiming what we know is our right
to be human and the value of our life.
In developing the CMHC project, the leadership has learned
many lessons, worked to overcome unforeseen obstacles in taking on such a large
venture, and even got on each others’ nerves, but like Harriet kept on
going. We keep going because our freedom, the legacy that our ancestors dared
to live for, can not be squandered for us to die like this –weakened,
tired, disconnected from each other, and hoping for change.
This is just not acceptable. Key cornerstones of the CMHC
Training Journey are the Critical Mass Health Conductors’ Affirmation-
Principles. Created by the Council of Elders for the Bay Area African-American
Health Initiative, the principles help us remember how to stay on the path
to achieving health and wholeness.
The CMHC is a program of cultural engagement, to engage
ourselves in becoming health advocates, collectively and to understand that
working on improving our health doesn’t have to be done alone. The training
is designed to be flexible with a gathering once a month over the four-month
period. You and two other people will form a trio and learn to support one
another in achieving your goals.
During the Training Journey we learn from others’ success
stories and challenges to keep us inspired. A myth in the community is that
in order to become a Health Conductor you have to be vegetarian or be perfect
all the time. Not True! During the training you’ll learn about stress
reduction, the metabolic syndrome, reducing fats and sugars and healthier foods.
What is important about becoming a Health Conductor is that
you have the intention of promoting wellness in our communities, for yourself
and your family. You will be courageous in speaking up about necessary changes
to support healthier families and communities and show that you are willing
to ask for support for yourself and others to make these changes.
Finally, you will be asked to work on removing the inner
obstacles that prevent the Spirit from working within and through you. On behalf
of the current numbered Health Conductors we invite you to join Critical Mass
Health Conductors. Visit www.babuf.org for complete training schedules, to
view pictures from past activities and to read profiles on Health Conductors
in Action.
For more information call the Bay Area Black United Fund
at (510) 763-7270.
