- 57 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Boots on the ground advocacy
Former Tampa Bay resident Dana Ashley Lavender is bringing thousands of women together in the name of healing, prevention, and self-care through one of the nation’s largest Black women’s health events in Ohio this week.
Having lived in the Tampa Bay area for over a decade, she now resides in the Columbus, Ohio, area and is continuing her mission of community wellness as Program Manager for the African American Male Wellness Agency, an organization dedicated to closing health disparity gaps in African American communities across Columbus and 19 other cities nationwide.
The annual Uplift Her Wellness Experience is taking place on Wednesday, June 24, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, 400 N High Street in Columbus. The gathering centers on Black women’s health and empowerment, drawing nearly 8,000 women for a day focused on education, wellness, screenings, and support. For Lavender, the work is deeply personal and rooted in a lifelong commitment to service that she's bringing to each city she touches.
“Giving back to the community is truly part of the family legacy for Dana,” organizers shared at Columbus is my Neighborhood, another organization Dana is involved in, describing how her passion for helping others began at a young age. Today, her same passion has evolved into boots-on-the-ground advocacy, where she educates residents on adopting a more holistic approach to their health and their families' well-being.
Putting you first
At the center of the gathering is a conversation many women of color know intimately but rarely prioritize: the pressure to care for everyone else before themselves.
“What we know but don’t talk about enough is that women of color are three to four times more likely to die from preventable diseases,” Lavender said in a recent video promoting the event, referencing health crises like breast cancer, maternal health complications, and other conditions disproportionately affecting Black women.
The gathering is designed to challenge that cycle of self-sacrifice and encourage women to put their own wellness first.
“What we want women to do is choose themselves. Let us pour into you,” Lavender said. “I’m going to choose me.”
She emphasized that constantly placing others’ needs above your own can come at a dangerous cost.
“You can’t sacrifice others’ needs over your own because that can be detrimental to your health,” she said.
That message resonates with many women attending the event, particularly mothers, caregivers, and community leaders, who often feel obligated to shoulder the emotional and physical burdens of those around them.
“Women feel they have to put everyone else’s needs before their own, but at this event we want you to allow us to pour into you,” Lavender explained, adding that organizers hope attendees walk away understanding that prioritizing their health is not selfish but rather necessary.
Free health screenings
One of the biggest components of the event is access to free health screenings, which organizers say are helping save lives. Last year alone, more than 2,200 individual screenings were provided to attendees.
“These are lifesaving,” Lavender said.
The screenings include mammograms, oral cancer checks, vision screenings, skin cancer evaluations, and several other preventative services aimed at detecting illnesses before they become fatal. What shocked organizers most was what those screenings revealed.
“Over 60 percent were at a crisis stage one or two,” Lavender said. “So we make sure this has to continue.”
For Lavender, the statistics are proof that events like this are critical interventions in communities where putting yourself first, access, affordability, and awareness, and so much more often remain barriers to women of color when it comes to healthcare.
Her work through the African American Male Wellness Agency may focus broadly on improving Black health outcomes, but this event places a special spotlight on Black women, who continue to face some of the nation’s steepest healthcare disparities despite being among the fastest-growing groups of caregivers and community advocates.
As thousands gather in Ohio this week, Lavender hopes the message reaches beyond the event itself and that wellness should not be a luxury or an afterthought for Black women, but a priority.
Share Your News
To share news with the Power Broker, connect with reachout@powerbrokermagazine.com. To sign up for our twice-weekly e-newsletter, visit www.powerbrokernews.com, and to join our online conversation, subscribe to our YouTube channel at Power Broker Media Group – YouTube.