“Sisters In Motion Memphis:” A Faith-Based Community Effort to Lose Weight and Improve the Health of African American Women

In September of 2006, a group of African American women who attended the Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee (http://www.theblvd.org/) had a desire to accomplish an ambitious physical activity and endurance goal. Their goal was to run the St. Jude Memphis Marathon (full or half), an uncommon goal in a city recently ranked as the most obese city in the United States by the Gallup Well Being Index.¹ This idea of running a race together was the beginning of a long journey that would turn a group of six church members into a force of over 150 church members known as “Sisters in Motion Memphis” (http://sistersinmotionmemphis.org/) founded and led by the lead author of this article, Linda Sessoms.

The Setting

Memphis, the city of Blues, is known internationally for great music and good food. Among public health researchers, it is also known for great health disparities that are rooted in social determinants of health. For example, over 24% of the residents of the city live below the federal poverty line (compared with 13% nationally).² Prominent among these disparities is obesity, which can lead to number of poor health outcomes and ultimately premature death. While obesity disparities are clearly multifactorial in nature, one University of Memphis expert points to a “local culture built around Southern hospitality”² in Memphis that supports the use of food as a way of expressing love and caring for people. Perhaps nowhere is this more common than in churches, which are well known for their food gatherings for a variety of events—often multiple events in one month. In the midst of this uphill cultural battle, Sisters In Motion Memphis arose to encourage change and a new way of expressing love that keeps church members and their families living longer, healthier lives while negotiating the cultural notions of large amounts of food as a sign of love at church and family gatherings. The initiative benefited from the support of church leadership. Unlike some churches in Memphis

St. Jude Fire Cracker 5K in 2009—A Sisters in Motion Memphis official race, where a large number of members participate annually.

and other Southern cities, Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church was engaged in a perpetual state of self-improvement led by former minister, Dr. Frank Anthony Thomas (known as Pastor Frank). The leadership of the church encouraged the creation of Sisters In Motion and other initiatives focused on improving the lives and well-being of church members. Hence, the effort was one which was faith-based, community-based, and community-supported from the beginning. Such leadership helped one of the authors, Sessoms, develop this to market it to church members without the opposition to cultural change that may have been faced in other church environments. Perhaps the challenges that Memphis faced and continues to face require such innovative thinking and strategic leadership from the pews and the pulpits.

The Mission and Workout Plan

The mission statement of Sisters in Motion is, “To encourage adult African American women of all ages to become physically active through regular exercise in a supportive and non-threatening environment.” To that end, the organization encourages its members to “stay active” and “in motion” through walking and/or running regularly and consistently. The members meet one morning per week (Saturday) to run and/or walk a prepared route with mileage ranging anywhere from two miles to twenty miles or more. Members are further encouraged to run and walk individually two to three other days during the week.

The Members of Sisters in Motion

Currently, Sisters in Motion has 190 members. Their ages range from range from 29–65, with the average age being 48. The education level of the members has never been a topic for discussion or requirement for membership. However, one of the authors (Sessoms) estimates that approximately 75%–80% are college educated. Members are asked to dedicate at least two...