Southwest Michigan Urban League is partnering with Bronson Battle Creek to launch health initiatives that expand access to care, wellness education, and financial resources. Priorities include promoting primary care, reducing barriers, and launching the “Afro Health Club” as a central hub for services and classes.

“La milpa es algo que literalmente nos arraiga como organización, mientras aprendemos y desaprendemos las formas en que la colonización ha tratado de desconectarnos de nuestras tradiciones, alimentos culturales y formas de sobrevivir; podemos usar esto y aplicarlo a muchas cosas como el lenguaje, el arte y la historia.”

Nicole Triplett, of Black Wall Street Kalamazoo, and Nicole Parker, of Sisters in Business, helped launch a West Michigan coalition that just earned state funding to expand support for Black-owned businesses.

Today’s teens face numerous challenges to their mental health, and nearly one in five teens surveyed reported experiencing a major depressive episode in the past year. In 2023, nearly a third of U.S. teens received mental health treatment, according to the CDC report. In Michigan, some of those teens saw practitioners and joined groups at OnPoint, which provides behavioral health and homelessness services in Allegan County.