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Published: June 28, 2005 NATIONAL COUNCIL OF NEGRO WOMEN MOTIVATIONAL TOUR INSPIRES WOMEN TO FOCUS ON WELLNESS, SPIRITUAL AND LIFE SATISFACTION National campaign recasts midlife as a time of renaissance and renewal. Washington, DC (BlackNews.com) - Tomorrow Begins Today: African American Women As We Age is a multi-dimensional public education campaign sponsored by the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), with a mission to inspire personal development and empowerment for African American women. This first-of-its-kind initiative inspires African American women to view their middle years as a time of renaissance and renewal. "Midlife is a hectic time with often overwhelming family and career responsibilities for women," said Cheryl Cooper, national executive director of NCNW. "This campaign encourages women to focus on the most vital areas of our lives - financial planning, health and wellness, and life satisfaction - and to assess where we are and what kind of future we want beyond our immediate responsibilities to others," Ms. Cooper said. The campaign included city-wide forums in communities across the country conducted with local sections of NCNW, and partnering organizations such as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., The Elks, and the National Black Nurses Association to sustain the campaign locally. "We've hosted forums in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and now Washington, DC," continued Ms. Cooper. "In each city women have affirmed the research that supports this campaign - that women's perceptions of what middle age looks like are changing." On Friday, June 24th, NCNW convened a civic meeting at the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington, DC, to determine the ongoing initiatives in the mid-Atlantic region that will extend the campaign. Many women are juggling caring for our children - and sometimes caring for grandchildren and aging parents - with career responsibilities. NCNW research has revealed that these factors, coupled with confusing nutritional messages and a myriad of financial planning options, often result in women neglecting to focus on their futures. On Saturday, June 25th, over 500 women heard presentations given by Ms. Cooper and Dr. Dorothy Height of NCNW, Kimberly McLurkin-Harris of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Linda Gill of BET Books, Sheryl Hilliard Tucker of Money magazine, and several others. "There is clearly a need for continuing this important dialogue with African American women about planning and aging," said Ms. McLurkin-Harris. "This is just the beginning of a civic partnership that will continue offering information on the theme of living well." A book signing for NCNW's inspiring new publication entitled Tomorrow Begins Today: African American Women As We Age was held following the forum. The book examines the issues of the campaign - finance, health/wellness, and life satisfaction - in further detail and will be available through online booksellers and in bookstores at the end of the summer. Contributing authors to the publication include Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel Capital Management; Vivian Pinn, MD, director, Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health; and Iyanla Vanzant, author and spiritual counselor. Dr. Dorothy Height, civil rights activist, national president emerita and chair of NCNW, also contributed to the publication. For more information on additional local events in the Washington area, please contact Shirley Johnson at (301) 460-2815 or shirleyj6190@aol.com For more information about NCNW and its events in your area, please call (202) 737-0120 or visit www.ncnw.org About the National Council of Negro Women |
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