On a sunny August morning roughly 50 energized women gathered near the historic Inkwell beach on Martha’s Vineyard while the chants of positive affirmations by Polar Bear participants echoed in the wind.

They took turns introducing themselves through lineage, answering the question, “Who are you the daughter of?”

The symbols of wellness, fellowship and community are pillars for the daily swimmers. Composed mostly of African American women, the group welcomes all every morning in the water, weather permitting, to start the day with intentionality, reflection, sisterhood and movement.

In the 80-year history of the Polar Bears, gratitude, joy and purpose are found in the refreshing and sometimes cold, healing waters of the Inkwell.

The morning’s gathering was facilitated by leaders of GirlTrek, a grassroots movement focused on anchoring Black women to take charge of their health by walking every day for at least 30 minutes and talking with other Black women to address problems in their lives and communities.

For 15 minutes, the women walked in small groups to discuss what they were walking away from and toward in their life. It was just enough time to listen to someone and then the clock restarted to be heard. The exercise was appropriately named Manifestation Mile.

Organizers were clear. Girl-Trek was not a walking group but rather an opportunity to “walk to reclaim your health, talk to build real sisterhood and solve to lead change where you live.”

GirlTrek co-founder Vanessa Ranae highlighted the success of neighborhood groups from Portland, Oregon, to Harlem, New York, where thousands of Black women strategized to change traffic patterns or challenge community hospitals to do better by their patients.

She emphasized that the legacy and power of walking in numbers is not new to Black women.

“Walking is a tool of liberation,” Ranae said, referring to Harriet Tubman and the Black Lives Matter movement, where walking was used to galvanize, organize and strengthen communities.

Calling in the names of one’s matrilineal line coupled with the bold action of walking allows communities of women to lean on one another during difficult times, exercise self-care and heal through shared storytelling.

Participants left understanding a little bit more about themselves and their manifestation mile partners, all the while reminded of Alice Walker’s words: “How simple a thing it seems to me that to know ourselves as we are, we must know our mothers’ names.”

After the walk, women gathered on the porch of the Villa Rosa. Valerie Mosley, owner and granddaughter of Rose Mosely, welcomed the crowd to the historic home, known as the Summer White House during the Civil Rights Movement. It was formerly owned by Joe Overton, a prominent Harlem-based labor leader.

The bones of this historic landmark house have witnessed decades of planning and strategy meetings. Its wood panels and large windows, with panoramic views of the horizon, were restorative for Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and Harry Belafonte, who visited and sought its healing power during the 1960s.

The Black women gathered on the porch were about to receive the restorative power of self-worth in the next phase of their wellness journey. Hostess Valerie Mosley and host Chef Deon welcomed the mile trekkers on the porch, where both were equally delighted to celebrate their collaboration to wellness through financial empowerment and healthy food. Premier Cora Richardson-Hodge of the Caribbean island of Anguilla was welcomed as an honored guest.

Mosley opened HerWorld worth and wealth, a powerful seminar that emphasized the value of one’s self-worth before net worth. Several speakers delivered a powerful message to the packed audience, outlining the foundational keys to financial success and wealth building while investing in your self-worth.

Presenters ranged from artists, writers, financial professionals and business owners, all delivering digestible nuggets of knowledge, from the value of real estate, art to preserving and protecting culture.

The next group of speakers provided historic context to why many Black families are not successful in passing on generational wealth, identifying discriminatory federal and state legislation, disease and divorce as financial legacy killers.

The final group of dynamic speakers were young financial professionals whose stories were rooted in struggle. All attendees received a toolkit as a reference guide to actively work on their journey of self-care to self-worth to financial well-being and prosperity for generational wealth.

“In honoring my promise…I believe we have a responsibility to share what we know, and who we know, with the world,” said Valerie Mosley. “Every speaker has a story, and every story holds lessons worth sharing.”