An AdventHealth team member is working to address health inequities in the Black community.Rebecca Desir, a community advocacy senior manager at AdventHealth, founded the Black Health Commission at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to address health inequities and promote well-being in the Black community.”I have the pleasure of serving as the founder and executive director of Black Health Commission,” Desir said.Desir started the organization at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to transform the narrative around health disparities.”Working at the hospital at the time, really hearing from our leaders and from our community, just everyone was just in disarray, just trying to figure out how do we properly communicate with our community,” she said.The nonprofit uses workshops, engagement campaigns and online resources to advocate for improved health and well-being in the Black community.The BLK Joy Festival is a cornerstone of the organization’s impact, held every summer at Lake Lorna Doone Park in Orlando.Desir described what Black joy means to her.”It’s the sun against my skin, it’s the music that I listen to, it’s that phone call with my mama. You know, catching her up on the day. It really depends on where I’m at. But joy is everywhere. We really just have to be more intentional in centering it in our lives,” Desir said. The festival is an inclusive health fair focused on connection and celebration.Starting with just 200 people a few years ago, the festival now attracts more than 2,000 attendees, offering mental, physical, educational and financial support to the community.”It’s so important for us to have representation and have people that understand your culture, your beliefs, your values,” Desir said.”And so just seeing people that look like them at the forefront of this initiative, that gives them the comfort to be able to come to the festival and get the information that they need,” she said.As Desir approaches the fifth year of her nonprofit, she envisions the Black Health Commission becoming a pillar in Central Florida and the state, similar to events like Classic Weekend and the Pro Bowl, while keeping community care at the center of it all.”We come together for brunches, we come together for birthdays, we come together for maybe sad events as well,” Desir said.”But being able to come together where we’re focusing on our health and wellness, that’s something special,” she said.The Black Health Commission is hosting an art exhibit on Feb. 21.It’s at The Hideout on Lee Road from 6:30-10 p.m.
An AdventHealth team member is working to address health inequities in the Black community.
Rebecca Desir, a community advocacy senior manager at AdventHealth, founded the Black Health Commission at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to address health inequities and promote well-being in the Black community.
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“I have the pleasure of serving as the founder and executive director of Black Health Commission,” Desir said.
Desir started the organization at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to transform the narrative around health disparities.
“Working at the hospital at the time, really hearing from our leaders and from our community, just everyone was just in disarray, just trying to figure out how do we properly communicate with our community,” she said.
The nonprofit uses workshops, engagement campaigns and online resources to advocate for improved health and well-being in the Black community.
The BLK Joy Festival is a cornerstone of the organization’s impact, held every summer at Lake Lorna Doone Park in Orlando.
Desir described what Black joy means to her.
“It’s the sun against my skin, it’s the music that I listen to, it’s that phone call with my mama. You know, catching her up on the day. It really depends on where I’m at. But joy is everywhere. We really just have to be more intentional in centering it in our lives,” Desir said.
The festival is an inclusive health fair focused on connection and celebration.
Starting with just 200 people a few years ago, the festival now attracts more than 2,000 attendees, offering mental, physical, educational and financial support to the community.
“It’s so important for us to have representation and have people that understand your culture, your beliefs, your values,” Desir said.
“And so just seeing people that look like them at the forefront of this initiative, that gives them the comfort to be able to come to the festival and get the information that they need,” she said.
As Desir approaches the fifth year of her nonprofit, she envisions the Black Health Commission becoming a pillar in Central Florida and the state, similar to events like Classic Weekend and the Pro Bowl, while keeping community care at the center of it all.
“We come together for brunches, we come together for birthdays, we come together for maybe sad events as well,” Desir said.
“But being able to come together where we’re focusing on our health and wellness, that’s something special,” she said.
The Black Health Commission is hosting an art exhibit on Feb. 21.
It’s at The Hideout on Lee Road from 6:30-10 p.m.