TAMPA, Fla — The NAACP of Hillsborough County hosted its first ever health expo and community Olympics.
There was tons of fun and lots of games, but organizers said they had an important message for communities of color.
"The NAACP believes that there's always strength in numbers, unity, and information. Health disparities is not necessarily an old thing, but if we can get in front of it, we can start doing the preventive measures... We'll see a decrease in some of these things that's been plaguing our community," Connie Burton, NAACP, explained.
With help from more than 30 community partners, the NAACP said it's working to set the tone of good health and wealth among communities of color.
At the all-day event, people could give blood and attend free cooking demonstrations. There were even workshops set up for health screenings so people could check their blood pressure and get dental check-ups.
"People of color tend to have the highest blood pressure, highest rates of heart disease, arthritis, joint pain... When we're able to have opportunities and resources like a way to get your blood pressure checked, you can get your health insurance here... That in itself is already getting us ahead of the curve and helping our people," Patrice Waite explained.
The NAACP said health and wellness is also a civil rights issue, adding that with events like this, they hope to encourage the community that making healthy choices can be fun.
"I'm so honored to see this. I'm so honored to see people who look like me that are showing up and helping other people that look like me," Waite added.
She said seeing people of all ages and people who look like her makes her feel like she and her community have the support to achieve a healthy and wealthy life.
"It's showing us that we are being seen, and we are being heard and the more we continue to have events like this, and the more we continue to have representatives that are of a higher stature to come here, that in itself creates ripples of wellness and positive impact in our communities," Waite said.
