About Our Programs

+ Sisters Together Empowering Peers (STEP)

STEP began in 2002 and is a peer-led support and empowerment group that addresses health and social inequities for African American parenting women in our community. Many STEP women start their journey through the Black Infant Health (BIH) Program — we partner with BIH and provide support to their women. Once BIH women graduate, STEP provides continued education in areas such as access to essential goods and services, housing, education, job training, school readiness, and health information. “Our kitchen table” talks provide opportunities to share information and experiences.

[Register for S.T.E.P. here!]

+ Thirsty 4 Change! (T4C!)

Healthy Black Family (HBF) partners with the Center for Food, Faith and Justice (CFFJ), McGee Avenue Baptist Church, and The Way Christian Center to create an atmosphere of health through education on healthy food and drink consumption, awareness of health disparities, and empowerment of families to develop behaviors that support healthy a lifestyles. Thirsty 4 Change! engages African Americans in South and West Berkeley through an array of fun activities for the family to support improved health of our community. Activities include community gardening, shopping at farmer’s markets, learning to select nutritious foods and how to cook them. We recruit and train youth water ambassadors to increase community knowledge of the health impacts of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs), such as poor oral health, diabetes, and obesity. We encourage our community to drink water over SSBs, eat healthy foods and exercise. We encourage mothers to choose to breastfeed (when feasible).

+ Telling Our Stories (TOS)

Through the Telling Our Stories program, we offer participants a safe space to address stressors associated with motherhood, mother-child bonding, relationships, and more through self-expression and writing. To date, HBF has completed nine rounds of healing writing circles that have culminated in eight self-published books, entitled: What We Carry: Stories Black Women Never Tell – Multiple Volumes. These books are authored by several dedicated writers (Black women) who gather over a period of 6 weeks to share stories of resilience, strength, grace, vulnerability, and more through the lens of their life experiences. Topics in the book range from Black hair and Interpersonal relationships to the representation of Black people in the media. HBF hosts book launch celebrations that showcase live readings from the authors. These books represent the voices of Black women from all walks of life. The communal writing space where books are birthed is a healing space devoted to inspiring Black women community connection and empowerment. When you inspire women, you inspire children and that can change the world. During 2022-2023, we will be moving some of this content to Podcast platform.

Buy the books here!

Listen to the podcast!

+ Kindergarten Readiness

Our Kindergarten Readiness Program uses peer educators to provide African American parents with information on how to access quality childcare, early childhood development, kindergarten readiness, and early enrollment. STEP Leaders are trained to create and implement outreach and education plans that engage parenting mothers, families, and kin-care providers of children ages 0-5. We convene community empowerment groups, educational forums, and workshops in community-based settings to share information and resources highlighting the importance of early childhood education. Presentations are provided by experts from the City of Berkeley’s 20/20 Vision, Berkeley Unified School District, and other community partner organizations. All of these experts’ address “Equity for Black Children” with a focus on toxic stress, racism, and its effects on early childhood development, classroom education, and family stability. In addition, local African American families share experiences about raising their children ages 0-5 and the systemic challenges they face in preparation for kindergarten readiness.

+ Learn and Play on Zoom

Play and learn sessions were circle offerings for the babies, children and parents that focused on skill building for children, support of emotional and social development and enrichment through early learning. Mindfulness and stress reduction activities were included to empower and support social/emotional development during COVID-19.

+ Fatherhood Engagement

Forums to assess and learn about Black fatherhood engagement. HBF held focus groups to gather information about the experiences and needs of fathers in our community. Facilitated conversations from fathers, community leaders and other community-based organizations.