Health and Healing Strategies

Under the guidance of Dr. Phyllis Hubbard, Director of Health and Healing Strategies, CBMA has begun working with the Sacramento and Oakland Unified School Districts to serve as lead partners on this effort, in addition to other BMA leaders that will provide support in various other ways.

CBMA has also enlisted network partners to implement health and healing strategies to advance Black Male Achievement outcomes for parents, school personnel and community leaders. They include: 

• Strategic Destiny LLC, which will empower caregivers with trauma-related response strategies to influence the decisions that affect them 
• The National CARES Mentoring Movement to leverage partnerships to recruit, train and facilitate mentor wellness circles to develop youth leadership 
• Flourish Agenda to implement culturally-responsive professional development for school personnel to improve classroom management and reduce stress
• 393 Films, which will produce and disseminate strategic communications to increase healthy and healing lifestyles. 

In 2009, Shawn Dove asked Dr. Hubbard to deliver wellness presentations for its grantees during the first CBMA Transformational Leadership retreat. She developed a presentation entitled Transformational Leadership from the Inside Out, which for the first time focused on self-empowerment and healing strategies for leaders in the field of Black male achievement.  The workshop revealed an overwhelming need for health and healing strategies for BMA leaders. Participants felt empowered to share their challenges with major health issues including metabolic syndrome, depression and suicidal thoughts. Shortly thereafter, the BMA field lost some great leaders including Dr. Shawn White who transitioned at the age of 42 of complications of hypertension. It was during this pivotal time that the idea to help advance the Black Male Achievement (BMA) field by facilitating healing and self-empowerment from the inside-out came to fruition.

CBMA Health & Healing Strategies’ initial year of work revealed an increased demand and awareness of the need for BMA Health & Healing Strategies in schools, organizations and communities. Our strategies seek to close the health equity gap in communities by promoting healthy behaviors and strengthening the health and wellness of BMA leaders and caregivers who in turn create healthier environments for the young people they serve. This positive trickle down effect can be witnessed almost immediately.

In April 2017 we were thrilled to share that The California Endowment has awarded a two-year $500K grant to keep building our Health & Healing Strategies vision! With this additional funding, we can continue to inspire health & healing for Black men and boys through innovations and collective genius. Stay tuned here for more exciting news and updates!

How are you working to improve health outcomes in your town? Share your ideas with CBMA by tagging us on Twitter @BMAchivement and @GetRadiant using the hashtag #CBMARadiant!