Since its founding in 1908 at Howard University, good health care of African Americans has been one of the central tenets of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and the Xi Omega chapter, the oldest alumni chapter in the District, has built on the charge of the founders.
The latest project by Xi Omega, in concert with its nonprofit community arm, the Pearl & Ivy Foundation, is the Health and Wellness Fair, which happens annually. The fair took place at Paul Public Charter School in Northwest on Sept. 27 as a precursor to the annual Norma E. Boyd 5K Race, which occurred the following day at East Potomac Park at Hains Point in Southwest.
“The Xi Omega chapter and the Pearl & Ivy Foundation both contribute to scholarships and higher education,” said Raven L. Hill, who serves as the president of the chapter and the foundation. “The race is a tribute to Norma E. Boyd, a founder of AKA and a charter member of Xi Omega.”
Both events were inspired by data from the D.C. Department of Health, which has consistently shown throughout the years that African American District residents face significant health disparities, including: higher rates of chronic conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and asthma as opposed to their white neighbors. The gap in numbers is often associated with limited access to health care and living in medically underserved neighborhoods with few healthy food options such as full-service grocery stores.
These ailments are compounded by the city’s history of structural racism, high living costs and the dearth of key community health services in predominantly Black neighborhoods, resulting in shorter life spans than white District residents.
Dr. C. Anneta Amo, the former director of the Office of Health Equity for DC Health said external factors drive the struggling health of Black Washingtonians.
“Health inequities are neither natural nor inevitable,” Amo said. “Opportunities for health are driven by a broad spectrum of societal, structural and institutional laws, practices and policies.”
Promoting Overall Wellness, Fundraising, Transforming Lives
There was light rain outside of Paul on Sept. 27 and several people, many dressed in the Alpha Kappa Alpha colors pink and green, walked into the gym for the Health and Wellness Fair.
Tables were spaced through the gym, with different organizations possessing literature and having experts and organizational leaders on hand to explain their mission.
Courtney Phillip, chair of the health expo who oversaw the event and walked around the gym talking with the vendors and the people attending the fair, emphasized the purpose of the events.
“We are raising money for scholarships for students in D.C.,” said Phillip regarding the race. “We are focusing not only on the health of women but everybody’s health. Here at the Health and Wellness Fair, we have vendors such as Truist, who focus on things like financial literacy, and mental health and physical therapy. DC Central Kitchen offers participants healthy meals.
In another room at Paul, Willana Parker taught a Vira Sangha Yoga class. Students sat on mats and listened to Parker instruct them on exercise techniques while listening to soft music.
Upstairs from Parker’s yoga session, Nicole Hawkins led a Sound Bath Studio with 16 people.Her students sat in Indian style on mats in a quiet room in a state of meditation with small white candles lit.
Hawkins, a Sound Bath therapist of five years, said she notices the hectic life people lead in the Washington area and said her exercises offer tools to calm them.
“I help people relax, release and reset,” Hawkins, who was happy to participate in this year’s fair, told The Informer. “I love doing this. It makes me feel good and transformed.”