EmpowerNet Founder Antwanise Jackson’s mission was to introduce a holistic approach to wellness within the Black community.
TYLER, Texas — A new networking organization hosted its inaugural event to showcase health resources for the Black community at the APEC gym in Tyler this weekend.
The Black Wellness Expo, hosted by EmpowerNet, featured a diverse range of activities, from yoga demonstrations to vibrant drumline performances, along with valuable health information.
“My family had a lot of preexisting conditions, and so I spent a lot of time in hospitals growing up and then dealing with my own health issues that put me on my own health and wellness journey,” EmpowerNet Founder Antwanise Jackson said.
Jackson’s personal experience laid the foundation for the expo. Her mission was to introduce a holistic approach to wellness within the Black community.
“There’s mental health specialist here, cognitive drum therapy, yoga, there’s fitness assessments here, cryotherapy like all types of alternative medicine, like reiki healing,” Jackson said. “It’s going to show them new avenues for health and wellness that there’s more ways than just going to the gym to be healthy.”
Attendees got some important information about heart health, which is often overlooked in the Black community.
“It affects a large part of our community. and so that’s why we wanted to present it for our Black Americans,” said Brenda Seaton, St. Louis Baptist Church health ministry team member.
Misinformation is also a cause for the lack of knowledge when it comes to heart health.
“This is a myth. Cancer is the leading cause of death among women in the U.S. That’s a myth. A fact is heart disease have more women in the U.S. than any other,” Seaton said.
Those statistics are from the American Red Cross, which also says that eating healthy and relieving your mental health can all contribute to a healthy heart.
The expo also provided a platform for Black entrepreneurs like Sharday Nobles, owner of Shady Lips Cosmetics, to showcase their products that can help with people’s fitness journey or mental health.
“I love to make women look and feel beautiful,” Nobles said. “As a Black woman, I know a lot of us are afraid to try bold and vibrant color. So I wanted to help us with that.”
