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Happy Black History Month! This month, we’ll be shining the spotlight on some of our favorite Black-led organizations that are working at the intersection of environmental health and justice.

Centers of Wellness for Urban Women (CWUW) empowers women and their families living in urban communities to take action for their health and well-being through education, advocacy, prevention, and care.

CWUW’s believes that addressing seven dimensions of wellness leads to healthy decision-making and a healthy family structure. These dimensions include:

• Physical wellness is achieved through optimal nutrition and exercise, building flexibility, strength, and endurance, while accessing necessary education and services to prevent and treat illness.
• Emotional wellness is achieved through the ability to manage one’s negative and positive feelings, to copy with stress, and to check limitations with assistance from friends and family.
• Spiritual wellness is achieved through understanding the meaning and purpose of one’s existence through appreciation of life and discovery of spiritual self.
• Environmental wellness is achieved through proactive engagement in and contribution toward a healthier environment by the protection of resources and enhancement of safety.
• Intellectual wellness is achieved through ongoing attainment of knowledge and utilizing knowledge for the betterment of oneself, others, and the environment.
• Occupational wellness is achieved through a balance of work and leisure, by contributing one’s knowledge, skills, and characteristics towards roles and responsibilities.
• Social wellness is achieved through communications and healthy relationships, creating a balance of interdependency among self, family, and friends while realizing that there is a legitimate need for fun and leisure time to reconnect with people and refresh the mind.

CWUW hosts regular classes to support Indianapolis women achieving wellness in these areas like Connection 4 Wellness wrap around services, Calm the Chaos mental health events, Sisters Together: Move More, Eat Better partnerships, the Early Connections program for 18-24 year olds, and the Power of Retreat seminars. CWUW has worked with organizations addressing environmental racism and to increase knowledge on topics like food insecurity and recycling.

CEH’s digital engagement manager, Joanna Lee, began working with CWUW’s executive director, Rhonda Bayless, through CWUW’s Meatless Monday Indy initiative over a decade ago. It’s been a joy to see the diversity and depth of programs this organization has led over the years.

Follow the Center of Wellness for Urban Women and support their important work.