Our Story
Welcome to Healthy Black Families, Inc.
About Us
If you are black and pregnant or have just had a baby, HBF is here to support you. We can help you to have a healthy baby. HBF will connect you with the Black Infant Health program and the Sisters Together Empowering Peers program. (Click on our Programs button for more information). HBF invites you and your family to be a part of educational programs and celebrations throughout the year (Click on our Calendar and/or events button to see events and activities).
Our Vision
The VISION of Healthy Black Families, Inc. is to bring about health equality for black babies and full health equity for all black children and families. A black child should have the same opportunities in life as any other child.
To achieve this vision we believe we need to go beyond the traditional health care system. We know that maternal stress causes poor outcomes in our babies. HBF addresses the unique conditions in our lives based on the fact that we are black that cause additional stressors every day (housing insecurity, job insecurity, educational opportunities, discriminatory practices of the police, individual and institutional forms of racism, etc). HBF believes that we collectively have the capacity to change these conditions.
Our Mission
The MISSION of Healthy Black Families, Inc. is to support the growth and development of healthy black families and individuals.
We achieve our mission by providing the black community with education, engagement and capacity building and supporting individual self-advocacy and empowerment.
Healthy Black Families, Inc (HBF) formed as a non-profit organization in July 2013. However, since 2002 some of the individuals on the Board of Directors were on the Community Advisory Board of the Berkeley Black Infant Health (BIH), a program of the Berkeley Health Department. Currently HBF is dedicated to the success of two programs, both of which operate on the model of “kitchen table talks” (historically unique to the black community). The programs are:
Berkeley Black Infant Health
Sisters Together Empowering Peers
Healthy Black Families, Inc. provides for the essential needs of program participants such as childcare, transportation vouchers and food incentives for meetings. Annually, HBF hosts various activities including, Mother’s Day celebration, Turkey Basket distribution, December Holiday gathering, February Black History Month Celebration and a Summer Barbeque. Cultural celebrations are critical to the social and spiritual unity of our black families and integrated into HBF programming.
All of our programs are free, provide incentives for participation, provide childcare at the site of meetings when needed and other supportive things for families who participate (e.g. children’s clothing, new toys for celebrations, raffles based on participation, etc). We do all we can to make it possible for mothers and families to attend our activities.
