This post is written in partnership with Trina Baker & Mikia Cain from GirlTrek Seattle

History

GirlTrek is inspired by our history, from Harriet Tubman to the Montgomery Bus boycotters. One thing is certain; when Black women walk, things change. GirlTrek is an army of street soldiers who are committed to honoring the sacrifices of the women who came before. We do this by living our healthiest, most fulfilled lives.

Walks in the footsteps of a civil rights legacy, GirlTrek is a national health movement that activates thousands of Black women to be change makers in their lives and communities through walking. Statistics have proven Black women are dying rapidly 137 a day from preventable heart diseases. Our goal is to reach 1 million girls & women walking by 2020!

Beginnings

In 1996, GirlTrek started with two friends in Los Angeles, CA. Morgan and Vanessa met as college friends; they bonded over 2Pac, Nikki Giovanni and their inability to say no to smothered pork chops. GirlTrek was never an “aha moment” but a shared belief in radical acts of self-care.

In 2010 The GirlTrek Movement is born! We challenged our friends and families to walk with us – we walk to heal our bodies, inspire our daughters and reclaim the streets of our neighborhoods. In 2013, GirlTrek officially became a nonprofit organization and received its first major support from Teach for America. In 2015, the grassroots movement attracts national sponsors and 500 Girltrek organizers were bussed to Selma for the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery Bridge march. November 2016, GirlTrek becomes the largest health nonprofit for Black women and girls.

Movement

There is an unprecedented health crisis facing black women, 82% of us are over a healthy weight. We carry the weight of the world. You already know. We die younger and at higher rates than any other group of women in this country from preventable disease. We can change that. We will change that. We have come too far. This crisis is nothing compared to the road we have traveled. Each day we walk away from traumas of chronic stress, generational poverty, addiction, unemployment, failing schools, mass incarceration.

GirlTrek Seattle

It is game time! We are proving to the world that GirlTrek is changing lives for girls & women. Every Superhero Saturday, March- November 2019, you can find GirlTrek Seattle City Trekkers exploring various neighborhoods all throughout PNW walking and/or hiking urban trails. Follow GirlTrek Seattle on Facebook or email girlTrekSeattle@gmail.com for more information.

Join Girl Trek this Saturday, May 18, 2019 for the Save Our Sons Walk!

Or join GirlTrek for upcoming May events!

Superhero Saturday, May 18th

Neighborhood walks:
– 9am Cedar River Trail, Renton 98059
– 10am Beacon Hill, Van Asselt Community Center, Seattle 98108
(Optional Free Fitcamp 9am Van Asselt CC)
– 10:15am Wrights Park, Tacoma 98405
– 11am McCullum Park, Everett 98208

Superhero Saturday, May 25th

Neighborhood walks:
– 9am Seward Park Loop, Seattle 98118
– 10:15am Wright Park, Tacoma 98405
– 11am McCullum Park, Everett 98208

Optional: 8am Saturdays, walk/run with Black Girls Run at Seward Park
6pm/7pm Wednesday, Crunk Cycle Rainier Community Center – Free!