Hello and welcome to another
edition of mosaic: an african
american perspective.
I am your host, debra milo.
My guess today is jean
charleston, executive director
and founder of health freedom.
We are talking about the
african-american health freedom
walk.
It makes creative use of the
underground railroad sites.
Thank you so much for being
here.
>> it is so good to be back.
>> I want to start out talking
about inspiration.
What inspired you to start
freedom inc.
>> I am a registered nurse.
That is my training.
I do volunteer work in the
community.
I was volunteering, teaching
classes for people with
diabetes and high blood
pressure.
I was actually teaching a class
one night for people with
diabetes.
There was one woman with
diabetes, high cholesterol,
high blood pressure and she was
overweight.
she talked about how difficult
it was living with all of these
issues.
I went home that night and
could not sleep.
I went home and I tossed and
turned.
At one point I literally said,
God help me.
I want to snow what I could do
to help people change their
lifestyle.
All of the sudden I started
thinking about people in this
country who have walked for
freedom.
So I got out of bed and I did a
google search for the
underground railroad and that
time period.
What really struck me was how
people came together.
There were quakers, free blacks
, abolitionists, and many
others that help people in
their journey to freedom.
We are enslaved today by our
bad health habits.
So many of these diseases, we
have shown that we can get that
or control of them and even
prevent them.
There is a big study done on
diabetes that showed it could
be prevented.
That is what gave me the
inspiration.
I knew that I wanted to do a
program that is tied in with
that history.
Maryland has such a rich
history.
I want all of us to obtain
health freedom.
So I decided to do a nonprofit
and tried to start applying for
grants to do it.
The program that I am here
today talking about is a year-
long program.
we form what is called the
circle of friends.
The circle of friends can be
anywhere.
It can be at a church, at a
worksite, actually a family in
baltimore.
There was a woman who had five
adult children and three of
them were married -- first of
all all of these children had
diabetes.
Three of them had married men
that had diabetes and a
grandchild had diabetes.
And they formed a circle of
friends.
With the way it works they meet
once a week for six weeks.
The primary thing we are doing
is walking.
They can do some other type of
exercise but we are walking.
And then after the weekly
meetings they meet once per
month.
We do the weekly meetings and
culminate that with the 5k walk.
And I am going to talk about our
5k walk.
We are celebrating what they
have achieved over there weeks
together.
>> I want to talk about that
and I also want to talk about
some of the things that -- some
of the variety of programs that
you offer.
There is so much variety
there.>> we have a program
called healthy kids healthy
future.
It is to help them get on the
track to wellness.
We are promoting physical
activity.
We have a class for diabetes,
high clarisdraw, hypertension.
We also do a cooking contest.
We do it primarily with
churches.
We have a cooking class with
churches to help the ladies
that are doing the cooking at
the church to change their
recipes and to start preparing
heart healthy food.
>> you and I both know how
difficult and challenging that
can be because of the history
african americans have and how
we have eaten for dinner
rations.
>> that's right.
Absolutely.
>> nothing was made without
fatback.
Greens were boiled all day.
Those things constantly
contributed with the types of
health issues we struggle with.
>> and with the pies and the
pound cakes.
And the sweet potato pie.
>> absolutely.
>> a lot of these women know
their recipes by heart.
They learned it from their
mother and it has been passed
down through generations.
We ask them to write the recipe
down the way they prepare them.
And then we work with them and
do a recipe modification on how
they can take a potato salad,
for example, and make it heart
healthy.
We show them how they can make
a sweet potato pie heart
healthy.>> macaroni and cheese.
[Laughter].
>> that's another big one.
[Laughter]. We try to take
the recipes that they have an
make them a little more heart
healthy.
>> it is so good to hear that.
Especially in the 21st century
so many people are growing up
and they have these quick
foods.
They go to places like
restaurants and they are eating
things they don't eat even at
home.
It was primarily what ever mom
cooked and if mom had southern
route it was a different story.
So these are done annually?
>> that's right.
>> they will submit their
recipes and we will look at how
to make we have done in
different venues.
The last time we did it in
baltimore city.
We take those winning recipes
and we put together a cookbook.
>> why is it that is always men
and it chilly?
[Laughter].
>> we do get a lot of men that
want to submit their chili
recipe.
>> have you seen a change in
the way kids approach exercise?
>> we have a. The other
interesting thing is we have
gotten the parents to change
through the kids.>> that's
great.
>> the kids are asking their
parents and bugging them about
the right way to eat but also
to get exercise.
They might ask their parents to
go for a walk during dinner.]Sg
they are getting their parents
to be more active.
>> that is so great.
>> yes it is.
>> I have been privileged for
the last couple of years to
attend the health summit.
It is so much fun.
The chance to learn about the
history of the underground
railroad and the location.
These talk about this year's
walk.
>> we are doing the walk at the
woodlawn manor in sandy springs
it used to be a hub for
quakers.
The home actually belonged to a
quaker family.
On their property there is a
trail that was made by slaves
on the underground railroad.
The quakers assisted them.
I just love this trail.
I always say if someone wants
to know what it felt like to
try to walk for freedom in the
1800s this is the one to do.
It really is.
We have done the program and 11
counties.
But montgomery county is my
favorite.
[Laughter]. We call it our
celebration walk.
We are celebrating and honoring
our ancestors.
We are celebrating our future
generations.
We want future generations that
will be healthy.
We do all of that on the day of
the celebration walk.
It will be on June 10 this year
at the manor.
There will be some re-enactment
. People can do a guided walk
through the jail -- trail.
And if they really want to
learn all of the ways that
people would make it to freedom
they will get to hear that
history.
Or they can do it on their
own.>> last year when I attended
it was so amazing. They
reenacted harry and -- harriet
tubman and what happened there.
It shows what they accomplished
and what the ancestors
accomplished.
>> one of the other things that
we do is that the circle of
friends receives a training
manual.
I have a map that goes from
maryland up to canada.
>> I want to talk more about
that after the break.
We will get more in-depth
detail about that.
For those of you that just
tuned in you are watching
mosaic: an african-american
perspective.
When we come back we will tell
you more about the freedom walk.
.
Come back to mosaic: an african-
american perspective.
We are talking about the
african-american health freedom
walk.
Before the break we were
talking about the health
freedom walk itself.
Tell me what it consists of.
>> I started to talk about the
training manual that the members
have.
It has a map that shows where
-- the route that harriet
tubman took slaves on in the
1800s.
We have a lot of fit bits today.
People have their phones and
those can be programmed.
But still everybody receives a
odometer.
You can record your miles based
on that.
But let's say you did 10,000
steps a day.
You get to put that five miles
on the map.
And your goal is to get to
canada.
>> oh my.
>> it really does motivate
people to get more exercise.
And they make that the goal.
They get to see if they can
make that 600 miles.
>> harriet tubman did that many
times.
>> that's exactly right.
>> I do have one lady who has
been doing this for several
years.
She is on her third trip.
On her third trip to st.
Catherine's canada.
She wears her pedometer to bed.
She says that way if she gets
up to go to the bathroom she
gets every step she can get.
[Laughter].
>> I don't blame her.
[Laughter] That's
incredible.>> the celebration
we make announcements about how
many miles people have walked.
>> some of the interesting
things I encountered when I
participated last year and the
year before was that, first of
all, the energy that people
have about doing this is just
amazing.
Now was it last year, the year
before or both that there was a
choir.
>> that was last year.
>> that really reaches the
heart string.
You watch people.
Some people struggled of
course.
They are struggling with other
health issues.
Others were able to make their
way through. Having a chance to
just be part of that and to see
the beauty and how everyone was
happy. I think about the
ancestors and what they must've
gone through psychologically.
>> that's right.
If you can imagine, I remember
reading about when harriet
crossed over into canada and
how she felt like she was in
heaven.
She felt like the clouds were
just lifted.
What we try to do at the walk,
when you come out of the woods
it is almost like you are there
and have made it. And we have
the choirs that saying when you
come out.
It is very moving.
It really is.
People can hear the choir as
they are getting close to the
end.
And they get excited.
They get a bit more energized
when they get out of the woods.
>> I know I did because I was
so tired.
[Laughter].>> it is rough.
We tell people that -- you
really can't -- if somebody is
on a cane they can't do that
trail or in a wheelchair.>> I
heard you speak that it is the
actual trade -- trail that the
slaves had formed.
We are not talking about a
paved thoroughfare.
We are talking about really
rough terrain.
But if you think about the
number of feet through the
years that have gone through.
And in my mind I am thinking
about these wonderful and
amazing ancestors and how they
paved the way for so many
things for us.
And now we are walking towards
a healthy freedom.
That is a significant.
There was one part of the trail,
it was like an -- an opened up
tree.
What is beautiful is that you
have the docents, he told us
how there used to be the
quakers that would hide food
for the runaway slaves there.
we stood there in utter
amazement just thinking about
how that must have felt at that
time.
>> they did.
They would hide food and
sometimes clothing.
It is an amazing tree.
To see that huge hollowed out
oak tree.
It was also a place for them to
hide.
One thing I don't know if you
know about the trail, when --
oprah walked that trail when
she prepared for her role in
beloved.>> I did not know that.
>> she did it at night to be
able to see what it was like.
>> oh my goodness.>> she wanted
to see what it was like for
somebody to escape to freedom.
>> and here we are several
hundred years later walking for
our freedom of health.
>> that night when I couldn't
sleep I came across a picture
of something called a friedman
slave tag.
It was a tag that a slave would
receive when they received
their freedom.
Some places had papers that you
got when you were free but they
replace them with these tags.
When you have that tag you knew
you were free.
I actually went on ebay and
found one they were auctioning.
It was an original -- an
original.
It went for $25,000.
>> I bet it did.
>> I had it replicated.
It looks just like the tag.
I had it made into key rings. P
RNm
when you arrive on the day of
the walk we put a and on your
arm.
it represents your burden.
When you come out of the wood
-- woods and you finish the 5k
we cut that off.
And the choirs are singing.
It's an amazing experience.
>> that is amazing.
How would somebody get
information if they wanted to
participate in the annual
celebration walk.
>> they can go to our website,
that is healthfreedominc.Org.
Or they can call my office.
That is for when zero 669-6340.
We will send them a copy.
We are working with the health
and human services in the
county.
They will also help them to get
the registration form.
Unfortunately we have already
started the circle of friends
for this year.
But if they would like to join
a circle of friends they can
also get in touch with us.
They would not have the full
six weeks before the
celebration walk but they could
still get started and then do
the monthly meetings.
>> that is a good thing.
>> when do you typically start
with the circle of friends?
>> it is seven weeks before the
celebration walk.
This year we started in April.
We started April 17.
That was our first week.
>> is that when you also
recruit for conductors?>> we
actually do the conductors
before that.
The conductors are the circle
of friends leaders.
They are the people that will
help.
They will help get there people
to health freedom.
they are the conductor that
leads the train or their group.
They will go back to their
church or their worksite and
they formed their circle of
friends walking group.
Some of the conductors are just
so creative.
We have one that does a
different form of exercise with
her group every week.
She has done yoga, pilates,
kickboxing.
She wants to introduce them to
a lot of different ways to get
healthy.
And I have another one who has
a different exotic fruit every
week.
>> really?
>> she does.
She introduces that to her
circle of friends.
They do get a small stipend for
being a conductor.
It can help to pay -- if they
want to buy bottled water or
the fruit or something like
that.>> jean you have become a
wellness trailblazer.
[Laughter]. How many years
have you been doing this?
>> this is actually our 14th
year.
>> that's amazing.
Doesn't feel like it?
>> it does and it doesn't.
It goes by so fast.
It seems like there is
something different every year.
>> of course it does.
That's how it works.
>> it's just amazing the lives
that I have been able to touch.
Those conductors have made a
tremendous impact on peoples
lives.
We have seen people that have
been able to get off of their
medication.
they have been able to lose
weight.
They are -- they have their
health freedom.
I always say they have made it
to canada.
>> they made it to canada.
Any last words of wisdom you
want to leave with our
viewers?>> you can never give
up.
Frederick doug -- douglas tried
to escape five times.
He did not make it to freedom
until his fifth try.
Many of us have tried diets,
increasing healthy food, and we
don't quite make it but we will
eventually get to health
freedom.
>> that's right.
We will eventually get there.
I am looking forward to it and
will bring as many people as I
can.
How many people did you have
last year?
>> we had almost 100.
Our goal is to have 200.
So we hope that everybody will
come out that day.
We want people to enjoy the
festivities and it will be a
wonderful day.
>> I will let my people know.
>> thank you.
>> hopefully they will watch
this mosaic episode and they
will come out.
>> that is all we have time for
today.
I want to thank my friend jean
charleston to share with us
information about the annual
health freedom walk.
I am debra milo.
Please join us again next month
for another edition of mosaic:
an african american
perspective.
until next time, make it a
