Recently, I was invited to join the Facebook group, "Black Women DO Workout!" (BWDW). This group was created as a grassroots movement to engage one million Black women to join the fight against the obesity epidemic by committing to a physically active lifestyle. This movement is sorely needed because almost 80% of Black women are overweight or obese, but only a third of us are physically active on a regular basis. In addition, 22% of us report "complete inactivity," defined as not engaging in any type of leisure time activity (e.g., any physical activities or exercises such as running, calisthenics, golf, gardening, or walking) within the past month.

To date, the BWDW Facebook group has almost 46,000 friends. On a daily basis, hundreds of posts are made in which Black women share their stories of committing to not becoming an obesity statistic or, if they already are a statistic, of finding courage and discipline to reverse their overweight status. This social media site is littered with myriad photos of Black women of different sizes, shapes, and skin tones who each week move their bodies. There are pictures depicting women who are extremely fit; 40-, 50- and 60-year olds with better muscle tone and strength than your average 20-year old. But these aren't the images that are of most interest to me. I love reading the words and seeing the progress of overweight and obese Black women who have made impressive strides to take their lives back by losing weight and thus improving their health. Witnessing women who have never or rarely participated in any form of leisure-time activity—and who have been more concerned with not "sweating out their hair"—become women who incorporate movement where they live, work, play, and worship to improve their health and overall quality of life.

Several recent posts have highlighted the importance of Black women not only creating a healthy life for themselves, but becoming a positive role model to younger generations. One post in particular is video footage of a mother following a popular exercise DVD. I particularly enjoyed seeing her 3-year old daughter mimicking her every move. Others have posted pictures of themselves and their daughters going on walks, playing sports or riding their bikes—simply being active together. This behavioral shift is imperative because 43% of Black girls aged 6-19 years are overweight or obese. This is of grave concern because we are starting to see our younger generation suffer from the chronic diseases that used to be reserved for adults (e.g., diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, sleep apnea, and some cancers). Being overweight in childhood is highly predictive of being overweight in adulthood, a trend which is evident among Black females.

In closing, seeing a page dedicated to promoting physical activity as a means to address the obesity crisis among Black women (and girls) makes me feel hopeful. It's good to know there is a growing number of people of the same gender and race as myself who are concerned with creating and using their body as the strong powerhouse that it can be while obtaining better overall health.

— Daheia J. Barr-Anderson

Barr-Anderson is an Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology. She will be a panelist for the Tucker Center Fall 2010 Distinguished Lecture on October 20!