Dear Family,

Last week, we received a handwritten letter at our office.

In a world of clicks, swipes, and endless algorithms, this woman—after seeing us here on the news—picked up a pen and wrote: “How can I be part of this?”

That letter stopped us in our tracks. It wasn’t fleeting or transactional. It was deliberate. It was personal. It was an act of trust.

And it reminded us how movements grow—not through hashtags or trends, but through real connection. Through trusted voices. Through one woman inviting another to walk with her.

Thank you to every woman who has been on the pavement with us this week and who has told another woman to join. 

This is the power of the grapevine. The quiet, sacred way Black women have always organized—through whispered conversations, family phone trees, and the simple but radical act of saying: “This matters. Let’s do this together.”

It’s why every day on Black History Bootcamp, women call in to thank the sister who told them about it. And today, we’re inviting you.

You don’t have to catch up. Just join us live today at noon ET for a 30-minute walk and a conversation that could shift your perspective.

Just dial – (646) 876-9923 Code: 734464325#

This is how movements grow—step by step, sister by sister, family by family. And it starts with you.

Walk with us live at noon ET.

With love and purpose,

V&M 

P.S. Don’t forget—the Black Family 5K is coming.  On the final day of Black History Bootcamp, families across the country will walk together in joy, connection, and healing. It’s not too late to organize your family and be part of this powerful celebration. Don’t miss out—today is the final day to order your Black Family 5K T-shirts.

Sign up to organize your family here.

P.P.S. One more thing—During Black History Bootcamp, Morgan shared the idea of building a powerful directory of Trekker-owned businesses. Imagine what we can do when we intentionally support each other—submit your business here.

This week, we walked through fire and we did not burn. Instead, we became brighter, lighting the path for many more women to join us. 

Thank you for walking with us. 

P.S. Today’s episode, Religion or Ritual, is live right now, noon ET. Don’t miss it. Join us (646) 876-9923 Code: 734464325#. 

With love and gratitude,

V&M

Dear Family,

This week, Black History Bootcamp returned at exactly the right moment.

In a week when emotions ran high and the weight of the world felt especially heavy, we had each other. We had space, each day at noon ET, to feel all of the feelings, to process the disappointment and grief, and to acknowledge a rage that as one woman called in and said, “felt hotter than fish grease.” 

The divine timing of Black History Bootcamp returning now, at this moment, is not a coincidence. This is alignment. This is the sacred precision of a movement that is listening to Black women and knows what we need. 

For those who walked each day of Bootcamp with us and who plan to walk today—five days this week, at least thirty minutes a day (and we’ve been pushing an hour, we know!)—you’ve earned what we at GirlTREK call a Warrior Week. Congratulations! 

Use this link to directly share your hard-earned badge (above) on social media and encourage others to join you next week.

This first week of Black History Bootcamp didn’t just help create a habit, it asked us to wrestle with questions that challenge us to think deeply about the world we’re building:

• Do we raise a fist or open a hand?

• Should we be radical or responsible?

• Do we choose sisterhood or solitude?

• Can we be ratchet and respectable?

What we’ve learned together this week is that there are no easy answers and that freedom lies in the both/and of life. And where do these questions lead us? To action. To creating something real and lasting. If you’ve missed an episode, don’t worry, you can listen to the full week here. 

And at the end of this 21-day journey, on the weekend of Thanksgiving, we’ll come together in celebration, with our families, our friends, and our neighbors, for The Black Family 5K! 

WHAT: Since 2016, the Black Family 5K has been one of GirlTREK’s proudest traditions. Born in neighborhoods across the country, it’s a celebration of family, health, and legacy. 

WHEN: You can organize your family anytime over Thanksgiving weekend. Saturday, November 30th, Day 21 of Black History Bootcamp, will be dedicated to you and will serve as an end-of-season celebration for the movement. Plan to tune in live at 12PM ET. 

WHERE: From wherever you are, with your blood family, or chosen. It’s a DIY race and everything you need including race bibs and shirts can be found here. Please note, shirts must be ordered by November 15th to get them by Thanksgiving. 

1. Rally your crew. Invite your family, friends, and neighbors to walk with you. 

2. Order Black Family 5K T-shirts for you and your family to wear as you walk.

3. Show up. Walk, run, or roll with us in neighborhoods across the world.

This week, we walked through fire and we did not burn. Instead, we became brighter, lighting the path for many more women to join us. 

Thank you for walking with us. 

P.S. Today’s episode, Religion or Ritual, is live right now, noon ET. Don’t miss it. Join us (646) 876-9923 Code: 734464325#. 

With love and gratitude,

V&M

Dear Family,

Back by popular demand! Black History Bootcamp returns today! 

What does that mean?

For the next 21 days, live at Noon ET, we’ll be walking together as a movement, across time zones and lifetimes. We’ll share stories, ask tough questions, and listen as our voices rise from neighborhoods across the globe, united in a powerful conversation about the things that matter most to this community. 

More than a series or a podcast, Black History Bootcamp is a lifeline, a ritual, and a sacred safe space that has walked thousands of women back to their healing. 

Each season, we choose a theme and go deep over 21 days, creating space for you to establish a new habit while learning in the community. As we step into the final month of GirlTREK’s 2024 season, we’re diving into Season 8: 21 Essential Questions. This theme with the guiding subtext, “What Would the Ancestors Do?”, is designed to help us navigate the complexity of life’s choices – the “either/or” dilemmas, the “both/and” possibilities, the dichotomies we face, and the spaces in between, through a set of questions that don’t have easy answers, but do have examples from history that teach us how to show up with conviction and stand on business for the things that we believe in. 

1. Every Monday: We’ll send an email with the week’s questions, inviting you to join the live conversation each day. Lace-up, call in, and let your voice be part of this experience.

2. Miss the live call? No problem. Each day’s recording will be available on GirlTREK’s YouTube, Spotify, and iTunes accounts.

3. Get Involved Early: Join the live poll across social media using #GirlTrek, and weigh in on each day’s topic.

4. Celebrate Your Progress: Every Friday, receive a recap email with recordings and a special badge to share on your social celebrating a 5-day streak. Plan to complete all 21 days, and join us for a nationwide celebration by participating in the DIY Black Family 5K on Saturday, November 30. Sign up here. 

5. To kick off Day 1, our question,  inspired by the iconic story of Tommie Smith and John Carlos, asks: When do we raise a fist, and when do we open our hand? 

   In 1968, these two courageous men stood on the Olympic podium, fists raised, fully aware of the risks and the power of that moment. 

   Starting the series with the story of two  Black men who were willing to put it all on the line for what they believed resonates even more deeply after this weekend’s Prayer Trek, where we lifted up prayers for the strength, safety, and healing of our community and a theme of praying for our Black men emerged. No words can express how the spirit moved in the conversation. 

   With the election just 48 hours away, many of us are being called to make urgent, layered choices. Some feel compelled to raise a fist in protest; others feel called to open their hand in connection. Just last week, I found myself in a hard conversation with my cousin about voting. I told her unequivocally that I believe in mobilizing—that GirlTrek believes in showing up and claiming our power. But I also know that for many, the choice is not simple. And that’s what this Bootcamp is about; embracing the complexity and conviction in the decisions that shape our lives.

   This season feels necessary—especially for those of you who first found GirlTREK during the 2020 pandemic when Black History Bootcamp began. In those isolating, uncertain days, Bootcamp became a lifeline, drawing thousands of women together when connection felt out of reach. Many of you have told us that Bootcamp was the reason you’re here today. 

   But here’s what we want you to understand: you need it now, too. We can’t wait for a crisis to connect. We can’t wait until things fall apart to start piecing our lives together. Each day is fertile ground to create the life of our dreams, one step at a time. That’s what Black History Bootcamp is.

   We’re grateful you’re on this journey with us, honored to walk alongside you this month, and deeply indebted to those who came before us for lighting the path. Incredible things lie ahead.

   See you on the pavement today at Noon ET.

   In Solidarity,

   Vanessa & Morgan

Dear Family,

It’s November 1, and the next 30 days could change your life.

Today, as the new moon rises – the same moon that guided our ancestors – we invite you to embark on a sacred journey with us as we return to the roots of GirlTREK, where it all began with a simple walking challenge between two friends, Morgan and me. 

Last Saturday, we stood shoulder to shoulder in Atlanta with 1,000 women, proudly declaring our mission to increase life expectancy for Black women by 10 years. Those women ignited a fire within us, but here’s the truth. We need all million of you, not just 1,000, at the start line of this new journey with us. 

And we need you well. 

We need you whole. 

We need you walking. 

We need all million of you to understand that you are the mission. Change doesn’t happen outside of ourselves; it happens within.

That’s why this November, we’re not just walking; we’re taking the next 30 days to engage with 21 powerful “this or that” questions that challenge you to reflect deeply on your choices and connect your journey to the powerful legacies of those who came before us.

Over the course of the 30 days you will have an opportunity to:

• Create a daily discipline of walking and experience the profound health benefits of this practice. 

• Walk and talk daily with Black women from around the world, building community and connection.

• Explore thought-provoking prompts such as: Respectable or Ratchet? Loyalty or Liberation? Rest or Revolution? Each question is designed to provoke reflection and discussion, encouraging you to embrace your truth.

1. PrayerTREK (Tomorrow at 9AM ET)
   Start this journey with intention. Tomorrow at 9AM ET, join us on The Liberation Line from wherever you are for a collective prayer to ground our month together. Women from last week’s rally will lead Manifestation Miles after, creating space for us all as we step forward. This is a moment to connect deeply with our purpose.

2. 21 Days of Black History Bootcamp (Starting Monday)
   This Bootcamp is about action and reflection. For 21 days, we’ll walk together at 12PM ET on The Liberation Line, exploring our powerful questions and discussing what they mean for our lives today. Each day, we’ll dive into themes that matter, shaping our understanding and actions through the legacies of those who came before us. Dial in: (646) 876-9923,,734464325#

3. The Black Family 5K Celebration (November 30)
   To wrap up the month, we’ll gather for the Black Family 5K and end-of-season celebration, closing out our journey together with the people who matter most to us.

Picture this: One million women, setting intentions, walking daily, reclaiming joy, experiencing the justice that comes from our collective action. 

This isn’t just a program, it’s a chance to actively shape the lives we want to live.

Sign up to join us. Walk and talk with us. Let’s make these next 30 days matter.

 

With love, 

Vanessa (Morgan & Team) 

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. 

Dear Sister,

Tomorrow is the last Saturday of June and it will be our last Sisterhood Saturday call of the summer. 

Why? 

Because we outside! 

Last week we made history, and released GirlTREK Underground, our first ever mobile app, and we are planning to spend the rest of the Summer in the streets of our neighborhoods –  logging miles, earning badges,  building out new features for the app, and taking walks with all of the new women who have joined the movement over the past couple of years. 

To support the launch of the GIRLTREK Underground, we also announced a series of Rendezvous Points, where you can come out and walk and talk in person with members of the GirlTREK national staff.

We pre-gamed on Saturday at the Annapolis Juneteenth parade in Maryland, then officially  kicked off the Rendezvous Points, this Wednesday in Harlem, NY at sunrise and it was truly beautiful to watch the sea of superhero blue flood down historic Lenox Ave, walk by the famed Apollo theater, pass the Brownstown of Langston Hughes, and end at Marcus Garvey park. 

Next stop, New Orleans, next Saturday July 6th, for a meetup at the powerful Maafa commemoration. If you will be in town for the Essence Festival, you don’t want to miss this. Plan to be there with us. RSVP here. 

Many more stops are being added to the Rendezvous Points. 

This is us stepping away from our screens and into the streets of our neighborhoods to build real community and support you on the ground. But don’t you worry, the juicy conversations that we have been broadcasting on Saturday’s and all of the knowledge that we have been dropping and solutions that we have been sharing, will start to show up in fun and cool ways on the GirlTREK Underground. 

Download it today so that you can get support, find your community, and start tracking your walks and celebrating your victories. 

Already, in less than a week, the women who have joined have logged more than 10,000 miles and earned more than 2,000 badges  and their testimonies speak for themselves.

• “Just what I needed to jump start my self-love journey as I am a new caregiver and realize the importance of taking care of me as well. This also allows me to clear my head.”

• “Listened to my GirlTREK playlist; talked, prayed, sang, cried, danced and encouraged myself as I walked “

• “I’m on a roll! Locked in. Feeling accomplished.”

• “Enjoyed walking and logging in and everyone’s beauty and testimony in their stories and how to be a better self.”

• “Great app! Paired my walk with a core workout “

• “I did it!! Got up and OUTSIDE I said to myself….I can do ANYTHING for 30 minutes”

Haven’t been able to access the app because you have an Android? We promise, sisters, we got you! We are in daily communication with the Google Play store and they promise us that the train will leave the tracks and you can get on board any day now. If you aren’t signed up to receive text messages, you can do so here and you will be alerted as soon as it’s available. 

In the meantime, please join Morgan and Vanessa tomorrow at 10AM, ET, Dial (646) 876 9923,,734464325# to reflect on our healing journey over the past month, to set intentions for July, and to celebrate together the history that we are making one walk, one step at a time. 

In solidarity, 

The GirlTREK Team

Q: Is the app available for iPhone and Android?
A: The iPhone app is live and the Android app should go live any day now!

Q: I’m a GirlTREK member. Do I need to create an account in the app?
A: Yes, every member needs to create an account in the app. GirlTREK has not created app accounts for members. Tap “Sign Up” after downloading the app!

Q: Can I invite my friends and family?
A: Yes! You will have a unique invite link in GirlTREK Underground.

Q: I went for a walk but forgot to press Start. Can I still track that walk?
A: At this time, we can only start tracking your walk if you press Start. We’re exploring how we might support tracking, adding, and editing walks in other ways.

We also have a new member support channel on the GirlTREK website. Our member support bot knows all about our app and can answer many questions!

You can also reach out to us at support@girltrek.org.