WHO WE ARE
The Intention of the Mind, Body and Soul Health & Wellness Circle is to build and expand holistic communities of support and resources for black, gay, bisexual and same gender loving men.
At the core of this initiative are six Chicago area organizations led by black queer identified men. The Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus, Alliance Care 360, Project Vida, Task Force Prevention and Community Services, Faith United Methodist Church-Dalton and Pride in the Pews. To my knowledge, a collaboration such as this has never existed before, where a collective of organizations led by black, queer identified men in Chicago have intentionally come together to pool our skill sets and resources in service of bettering our collective community.
As a whole, we support community wide efforts to engage, reengage and maintain black, gay, bisexual and other same gender loving men into a range of health related services. Our respective organizations serve as access points for the Health & Wellness Circle. Supported by a team of wellness coaches with a wide range of expertise, including personal training, mental health, health navigation and referral, faith and spirituality, etc..
Each organization offers centrally coordinated wellness programing, including but not limited to group exercise and yoga, nutrition cooking classes, massage therapy, spiritual wellness workshops, referrals and one on one mental health counseling. I invite you to stay tuned and stay connected to this ever evolving initiative that's guaranteed to give you the tools and resources that you need to achieve your best life.
The mission of the Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus is to advance health equity among Black gay, bisexual and same gender loving men by developing community-centered leadership and innovative programs. CBGMC envisions a world where our community experiences complete physical, mental and social well-being. Established in 2005 through the collective efforts of community stakeholders and local public health officials, CBGMC has consistently offered a variety of homegrown and CDC-sanctioned “for us, by us” initiatives ranging from statewide policy campaigns to an annual health and wellness “edutainment” event (LoveFest).
Pride in the Pews is a grassroots nationwide nonprofit that develops, equips, and organizes emerging Black LGBTQ+ leaders of faith and allies to advance social movements through civic engagement, political education and storytelling. The work of Pride in the Pews has been featured in prominent news outlets including the Chicago Tribune, ABC7Chicago, Christian Science Monitor, and Fox32.
Project Vida’s is to improve quality of life and reduce health disparities in underserved communities by promoting self-empowerment and providing holistic health education and direct services. Located in Chicago’s Little Village community, Project Vida offers a variety of resources and services including housing, behavioral health, case management, acupuncture, massage, as well as HIV/STI prevention education and testing.
Alliance Care 360 is a health navigation center specifically designed to screen, link, and navigate gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men of color (GBMSMC) to equitable care services. AC360 offers HIV/STI screening and linkage to care services as well as a host of support services including housing mental health.
UBtheCURE LLC is a Chicago-based organization that operates at the intersection of faith, health, and human rights, with expertise in HIV/AIDS. UBtheCURE specializes in raising awareness, promoting advocacy, and building capacity for community and faith-based organizations to combat existing and emerging health inequities, with competency in HIV/AIDS policy, COVID-19, LGBTQIA+ communities, gender and racial justice, food security, and peace in Palestine and Israel. UBtheCURE is committed to transforming the healthcare landscape to "treat people, and not just disease.”
At Faith In Action, our mission is to serve as catalysts for change, guiding individuals and groups toward a profound and lived faith that actively seeks justice, equity, and inclusion for all.
TaskForce Prevention and Community Services is a grassroots community-based organization serving LGBTQ+ of Color on Chicago’s westside. We serve more than 700 individuals between the ages of 16-29 each year by providing HIV prevention and support services and other services that address the syndemics of HIV (e.g., housing insecurity, un/underemployment). Our “for-us-by-us" approach to service delivery promotes community engagement and empowerment and ensures that our services are community informed, community led and culturally responsive.
WHAT WE DO
For The Body
Black gay, bisexual and same gender loving men are disproportionately impacted by just about every health-related issue that one could name (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS). As such, we offer holistic physical wellness programming that places an intentional focus beyond our sexual nature. Our programming includes cooking classes, group workout and yoga classes (for beginners and those with more experience in the gym), massage therapy, acupuncture, opportunities for essential vaccinations (e.g., COVID-19, flu, MPV), and linkage to culturally appropriate healthcare services (including HIV/STI treatment and prevention). All available in the Wellness Portal today.
For The Mind
Living your best healthy life begins in your mind. As Black gay, bisexual and same gender loving men, many of us have been mentally beaten down and broken by the heteronormative expectations of mainstream society; being both racial and gender minorities seemingly gives others permission to marginalize and oppress us without regard for our mental and emotional well-being. And this has long lasting and far reaching implications for our individual and collective health and wellness.
To combat the traumatic effects of such societal disregard, we offer programming designed to rebuild and restore a healthy state of mental wellness within our community. Such programming includes workshops for retraining our minds and correcting negative internal stigma/shame, mindful movement and meditation classes, and referrals to affirming mental health practitioners.
For The Soul
While traditional healthcare models have paid a great deal of attention to the physical indicators of health and wellness for Black gay, bisexual and same gender loving men, very little emphasis has been placed on the state of our souls. One thing we know for sure is that many of us LOVE God and are consistently seeking to be in relationship and have communion with the loving source that created and exists within us all.
The Mind, Body and Soul Health and Wellness Circle produces intentional programming designed to foster opportunities for us to fellowship with other spiritually-minded believers in a non-judgmental environment. Such programming includes spiritual wellness retreats and structured discussions, group outings to affirming spiritually-themed cultural activities and events, and access to affirming spiritual leaders. All available in the Wellness Portal today.
