Bay Area Region :: African American Campaign

Special Thanks!
The Consumer Empowerment Forum for Change was held June 11, 2008 at the Lockwood Child Development Center in Oakland.  Many thanks to Monique Woodford, the Network for a Healthy California – Bay Area Region’s African-American Campaign Coordinator.  She worked to bring together many partners and agencies to make this event a great success.  Read press release and view photo essay.

Key Objectives
The African American Campaign is designed to improve the health of the low-income African American community by providing education, advocacy, and policy development about healthy eating and physical activity.  The Campaigns key objectives are to: 

• Empower African American adult women, ages 18-54, and their families to consume the recommended levels of fruits and vegetables and be physically active every day at least 60 minutes for adults, children and teens.
• Encourage food secure households by promoting participation in nutrition assistance programs.
• Create environments where healthy eating and physical activity are socially supported and easy to do.

Key Activities
The African American Campaign reaches out to the low-income African American community at community festivals, grocery stores, low-income housing communities, and by working in partnership with the media, faith-based groups and other public and private organizations.  A key component of the Campaign is the Body & Soul: A Celebration of Healthy Living Program.  This model program has been proven to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among African Americans.

Calendar of Events
For a listing of the 2007 Network for a Healthy California--Bay Area Region African American Campaign events and activities, including our food demonstrations, please see our African American Campaign Calendar of Events.

Partnerships
The African American Campaign aligns with organizations across the Bay Area that work with and within the African American community.  If you would like to find out about partnering with the African American Campaign, please contact Monique Woodford at 408.792.5149.

African American Advisory Committee The African American Campaign Advisory Committee provides input and direction to the African American Campaign on its strategies and methods for reaching African Americans.  For information on how to become a member of the African American Campaign Advisory Committee, please call the African American Campaign Coordinator, Monique Woodford at 408.792.5149.   Volunteer Opportunities The African American Campaign is looking for volunteers who can help us reach out to the African American Community with the Champions for Change message and program.  If you would like to support this work in any way, please contact Monique Woodford, the African American Campaign Coordinator at 408.792.5149.   African American Recipes These delicious recipes are a perfect way to become Champions for Change!  Recipe PDFs. (Please note: you may need to arrow up or down the PDF to find the recipe you would like.) Fruit Salad Outtasight Salad Smothered Greens Strawberry Smoothie BBQ Beef in Pepper Shells Chicken & Dumplings Peach Crisp   African American Research Please note that all of these links are PDFs. Out-of-Home Eating Relates to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among African Americans.  The Network for a Healthy California--African American Campaign evaluated the relationship between fruit and vegetable consumption and out-of-home shopping and eating habits of African American adults, aged 18-54 years.  The following research reports were prepared by the Research and Evaluation Unit of the Cancer Prevention and Nutrition Section at the Department of Health Services.  Shopping Habits of African Americans: Relationship with Fruit and Vegetable Consumption African American Health Statistics – The African American community is disproportionately affected by heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke and obesity.  Download the African American Health Statistics Fact Sheet to learn more.

Resources
Please note that all of these links are PDFs.

• Building a Healthy Body & Soul: Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Tips
• Get Your Calcium the Fruit and Vegetable Way
• A Day in the Life Learn how one mom inspired her family to live a healthier lifestyle. (Video)

Links

• My Pyramid
• CDPH African American Campaign