Called
Family,
The situation is real.
This is a flashpoint.
...a critical moment for mental health.
I can't quite put my finger on it.
Maybe it's the murder of Sonya Massey.
Or the presidential election and attempted assassination that left Trump with his fist in the air.
Or perhaps it's the pressure of Kamala’s quick campaign to run in one of the most defining moments in American history.
Family,
The situation is real.
This is a flashpoint.
...a critical moment for mental health.
I can't quite put my finger on it.
Maybe it's the murder of Sonya Massey.
Or the presidential election and attempted assassination that left Trump with his fist in the air.
Or perhaps it's the pressure of Kamala’s quick campaign to run in one of the most defining moments in American history.
It would be Shakespearean,
...if our lives weren’t on the line.
This is not a drill.
It is not a drama.
This is democracy.
...and we have a role to play.
There are real issues: healthcare, jobs, education, safe streets, the environment.
And while we cannot endorse candidates, we can promote democracy, mobilize our one million members to vote, and open the lines for your free speech.
Most importantly, we can care for you—the freedom fighters!
That is our job. My job. Vanessa’s.
Matter of fact...
How you doing?
You need some fresh air?
Did you eat?
Turn the notifications off.
We care about you.
If you’re not OK, please reach out here.
If you are good—like good-good—and you feel called to care for others at this moment in history, we have a special service opportunity for you.
GirlTREK is building a corps of mental health first aid responders. ...because this is a historic moment and, like the women of The Red Cross during wartime, we will serve as a sort of Blue Brigade, going door-to-door providing mental health care to ask our neighbors, "Are you OK?"
If you are interested in being part of the first 1,000 care responders trained and deployed, please email Director of Training ReNate Elliott right away. Your community needs you.
Please share this opportunity with your friends.
I have one final question for you, Friend.
Have you been walking?
For real?
I got a Warrior Week* last week because my friend Pam texted me every day “Did you walk!?” So, I'm paying it forward.
I know it’s hot as hell outside, but keep walking. Play this song because there’s an army rising up.
Plus, it’s Black August!
It's supposed to be hot.
My hypothesis is that the veil of our protective politeness grows thin in the summer heat and we remember what it feels like to be free and breathe deeply in the Motherland-like humidity—or perhaps it's just hot as hell! And we be sick and tired. And the summer heat is a pressure cooker, a mental breaking point that requires us to rise up together. Think about it: The Haitian Revolution, Nat Turner, the March on Washington, "I Have a Dream," the Voting Rights Act, Nelson Mandela, Emmett Till, The Watts Rebellion, Ferguson Resistance... so many things happened in August.
I know, for sure, August is a portal for resilience and resistance.
This August, as you hold together and keep your families, churches, and justice movements safe, GirlTREK's role is to hold you to your promise that you will care for yourself and that you will walk with us in solidarity on Saturdays.
That's the pledge.
Our whole staff committed to getting into the best shape of their lives last year so that we can care for you—the caretakers—right now.
We can’t be on the sidelines.
Our walks will define democracy. Our talks will give voice to the American Dream. And together, we will organize to overcome barriers to joy and justice in our communities.
It starts with you taking care of yourself. Audre Lorde taught us, "Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare."
How will we use GirlTREK's body politic—our collective power?
Last story and my answer:
I was at my family reunion in Atlanta last weekend. We had cute army green matching T-shirts, looking all modern and fresh. We boarded the big idling buses to head over to the King Center for a tour. I stood in front of a quote that was etched onto the wall right across from Dr. King's burial site. I read his words slowly because I have dyslexia. My cousin Taylor listened with kindness. He’s tall, handsome, in his late twenties, and has dreadlocks. A good kid who, on the wrong block on the wrong night, might scare the wrong people. We stood there hugging as we read Dr. King’s definition of a "Beloved Community." Dr. King spoke about justice, love, compassion, an end to poverty, the distribution of wealth, peace, and mutual care. If you know of any resources that support Black women and the sisterhood, please share them here and we will add them to our Resource Toolkit.
The wall said that suffering is a part of life and that evildoers are themselves victims of an evil system. Taylor had a hard time with that last one. I secretly did too.
I tried to explain to Taylor what the legendary Diane Nash once told Vanessa and me—that Truth and Love are the only forces that transform the world.
I believe that.
And I want to be a loving leader.
And our movement will tell the truth about what Black women need to live their healthiest, most fulfilled lives.
And we will create a legacy for our daughters to live long and beautiful lives and to be free in this country.
Nothing matters if we aren’t well.
"You are your best thing."
Toni Morrison told us that.
So yes. Please tell everyone:
GirlTREK is mobilizing a million Black women to walk and talk about the issues that impact our lives, raise awareness of solutions in health justice, and walk in solidarity to support the causes we care about.
...every Saturday this fall, on the Liberation Line, starting August 17 at 9AM ET. Download GirlTREK Underground for full instructions.
If you’re a journalist, contact Brittany. She’ll give you the full scoop.
(OWN Magazine! We saw that spread on GirlTREK in June. Thank you.)
...because we need each other.
Meet us on the 17th!
In solidarity, truth, and love,
Morgan
*If you’re new to the movement, a “warrior week” means you walk at lifesaving levels which is five days in one week.
