Black History Bootcamp is Back Starting Today!
Dear Family,
Back by popular demand! Black History Bootcamp returns today!
What does that mean?
For the next 21 days, live at Noon ET, we’ll be walking together as a movement, across time zones and lifetimes. We’ll share stories, ask tough questions, and listen as our voices rise from neighborhoods across the globe, united in a powerful conversation about the things that matter most to this community.
More than a series or a podcast, Black History Bootcamp is a lifeline, a ritual, and a sacred safe space that has walked thousands of women back to their healing.
Each season, we choose a theme and go deep over 21 days, creating space for you to establish a new habit while learning in the community. As we step into the final month of GirlTREK’s 2024 season, we’re diving into Season 8: 21 Essential Questions. This theme with the guiding subtext, “What Would the Ancestors Do?”, is designed to help us navigate the complexity of life's choices - the “either/or” dilemmas, the “both/and” possibilities, the dichotomies we face, and the spaces in between, through a set of questions that don’t have easy answers, but do have examples from history that teach us how to show up with conviction and stand on business for the things that we believe in.
Every Monday: We’ll send an email with the week’s questions, inviting you to join the live conversation each day. Lace-up, call in, and let your voice be part of this experience.
Miss the live call? No problem. Each day’s recording will be available on GirlTREK’s YouTube, Spotify, and iTunes accounts.
Get Involved Early: Join the live poll across social media using #GirlTrek, and weigh in on each day’s topic.
Celebrate Your Progress: Every Friday, receive a recap email with recordings and a special badge to share on your social celebrating a 5-day streak. Plan to complete all 21 days, and join us for a nationwide celebration by participating in the DIY Black Family 5K on Saturday, November 30. Sign up here.
To kick off Day 1, our question, inspired by the iconic story of Tommie Smith and John Carlos, asks: When do we raise a fist, and when do we open our hand?
In 1968, these two courageous men stood on the Olympic podium, fists raised, fully aware of the risks and the power of that moment.
Starting the series with the story of two Black men who were willing to put it all on the line for what they believed resonates even more deeply after this weekend’s Prayer Trek, where we lifted up prayers for the strength, safety, and healing of our community and a theme of praying for our Black men emerged. No words can express how the spirit moved in the conversation.
With the election just 48 hours away, many of us are being called to make urgent, layered choices. Some feel compelled to raise a fist in protest; others feel called to open their hand in connection. Just last week, I found myself in a hard conversation with my cousin about voting. I told her unequivocally that I believe in mobilizing—that GirlTrek believes in showing up and claiming our power. But I also know that for many, the choice is not simple. And that’s what this Bootcamp is about; embracing the complexity and conviction in the decisions that shape our lives.
This season feels necessary—especially for those of you who first found GirlTREK during the 2020 pandemic when Black History Bootcamp began. In those isolating, uncertain days, Bootcamp became a lifeline, drawing thousands of women together when connection felt out of reach. Many of you have told us that Bootcamp was the reason you’re here today.
But here’s what we want you to understand: you need it now, too. We can’t wait for a crisis to connect. We can’t wait until things fall apart to start piecing our lives together. Each day is fertile ground to create the life of our dreams, one step at a time. That’s what Black History Bootcamp is.
We’re grateful you’re on this journey with us, honored to walk alongside you this month, and deeply indebted to those who came before us for lighting the path. Incredible things lie ahead.
See you on the pavement today at Noon ET.
In Solidarity,
Vanessa & Morgan