GirlTrek

GT led its one million members during the 2020 election cycle to activate voters from African American communities in support of left-of-center causes including changes to criminal justice policy, environmentalism, and expanded government health care. ¹

Background

GirlTrek (GT) is a foundation that promotes walking as a means of improving health in African American communities. The organization supports local and national policy towards increasing physical activity, improving access to safe public places to walk, and reclaiming land for the creation of public green spaces. ²

Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison founded GirlTrek in 2007 in response to the high occurrence of early death among African American women from preventable causes, including diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Dixon and Garrison discovered as little as 30 minutes of walking each day could reduce the incidences of such diseases significantly, starting the organization with the goal of “reclaiming” the streets for walking and increasing the lifespan of African American women by 10 years in 10 years. ^{3 4}

GT has formed local walking groups in 2,500 cities and towns in the United States and abroad and claims a membership of over one million African American women as of 2020. ⁵

GT has received recognition from Oprah Winfrey and has built partnerships with Kaiser Permanente, the National Park Service, and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign. The Foundation was recognized among the top one percent of global innovators by Echoing Green, a left-of-center nonprofit organization that awards fellowships and funding to leaders who promote equal racial outcomes. ⁶

The organization was awarded the Audacious Prize and a six-figure cash investment in 2018 by the Audacious Project, a TED-operated collaboration supported by multiple left-of-center foundations. These include the Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit consulting group; the John D. and Helen T. MacArthur Foundation, an organization that funds many left-of-center causes; and the Skoll Foundation, a group that funds left-of-center environmentalist organizations.

Initiatives

GT launched the Black Girl Justice League (stylized #BlackGirlJusticeLeague) for the 2020 election to lead walks to the polls in every African-American precinct in America to support left-of-center economic, healthcare, criminal justice, and environmentalist policies. ¹

The organization also promotes “100 Radical Acts of Self Care” to encourage members to take time for themselves to improve their bodies, minds and souls. ⁷

GT worked with the Partnership for a Healthier America, a group seeking increased governmental support to address childhood obesity; The Centers for Disease Control (CDC); the Stanford Prevention Research Center; the American Council on Exercise; the Safe Routes to School National Partnership; and the Sierra Club to develop the Black History Bootcamp, a training program for African American women to work as health professionals. ^{4 8}

GT encourages walkers to keep audits of their communities as they walk, noting parks that need cleaning, possible greenspaces, and necessary crosswalks, to influence community planning initiatives. ⁹

The organization launched the #DaughtersOf conversation initiative that encouraged women to celebrate their family history with a podcast featuring Angela Davis, a former member of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA), and Nikki Giovanni, a left-of-center activist who protested the San Quentin prison. ^{10 10 11 12}

Leadership

Morgan Dixon and Vanessa Garrison are co-founders of GT and currently work as CEO and COO respectively.

Dixon was director of leadership development for Achievement First, a charter school network. Dixon also directed the creation of six new public schools in New York, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She has also worked as trustee for the National Outdoor Leadership School and the Underground Railroad Historic Byway. ^{13 14} In an interview with the Sierra Club’s magazine, Dixon referred to the United States under then-President Donald Trump as being under dark days. ⁹

Garrison worked as a program coordinator for Our Place DC, a nonprofit that aids women released from prison in reentering society. Garrison also previously worked as a fellow with left-of-center organizations including Teach For America, Echoing Green, and the Aspen Institute. ^{15 16}

Finances

GT reported income of $10,814,913 in 2017, a significant increase from the $1,211,119 the organization reported in 2016. ^{17 18} Contributions and grants accounted for $10,664,638 in 2017 versus $1,244,834 in 2016. ^{19 20}

The entity recorded 2017 expenses of $2,315,000, a virtual doubling of the $1,364,129 reported in 2016. ^{21 22} GT reported spending $897,498 on salaries that year, of which T. Morgan Dixon received $96,458 and Vanessa Garrison $95,958. ²³ GT also reported net assets $9,452,328 at the close of 2017. ²⁴

Supporters

GT is supported by a number of left-of-center organizations, including the Arborbrothers, a group that funds social entrepreneurs; New Profit, an organization that provides venture funding for groups that advance left-of-center social goals; the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), a major supporter of left-leaning causes; the Social Innovation Award, a group that recognizes innovations that expand opportunities for low-income communities; and Accelerating Your Leadership. ²⁵

In 2014, GT received a four-year, $240,000 grant from the Emerging Leaders Fund, a fund provided by the Claneil Foundation to provide financing for early-stage social change organizations. ^{26 27}

Partners

GT lists the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the Columbia Sportswear Company, Kaiser Permanente, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Park Service, NOLS, philosophy, and outdoors retailer REI as its partners. ³