Academy Award-Winning Actress Halle Berry to Serve as 2021 National Race Captain for GirlTrek’s Black Family 5K
Back for the fifth year, GirlTrek’s Black Family 5K encourages families – blood or chosen – to get out in nature and take a Thanksgiving walk or hike. The Black Family 5K is a hallmark end-of-year celebration in the GirlTrek movement celebrating fitness, family, and fun. This year, Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry will serve as the Black Family 5K National Race Captain.
Watch Halle Berry’s video announcement here.
“GirlTrek is honored to have Halle Berry join the Black Family 5K. As one of the fittest celebrities in Hollywood, she constantly raises the bar for Black women’s health and wellness,” said jewel bush, GirlTrek’s Vice President of Communications and Public Relations. “She’s proof that Black women can unapologetically practice self-care, healing and that taking care of our bodies is an obtainable lifestyle. We grew up being motivated by Halle Berry’s inner and outer beauty. She models our very mission to create a revolution centered on self-love by mobilizing Black women everywhere to put ourselves first by practicing radical self-care through moving of our bodies and spending transformative time in the outdoors.”
With a career spanning three decades (DIE ANOTHER DAY, JUNGLE FEVER, LOSING ISAIAH, BULWORTH, SWORDFISH), Berry continues to break down barriers acting in a multitude of critically acclaimed, diverse roles and most recently adding the title of director to her already impressive filmography. She is set to make her highly anticipated directorial debut in her new film, BRUISED, in which she also stars. The plot follows a disgraced MMA fighter who must fight a rising MMA star, while journeying to become the mother her child deserves. The film first debuted at the 2020 Toronto Film Festival and was acquired by Netflix and is set to release on the streaming platform on November 24, 2021.
Berry has garnered praise not only for her roles on-screen, but for her philanthropic work with a range of organizations focusing on women and children and underserved communities. She is an active supporter and chair member of the Jenesse Center in Los Angeles. The Jenesse Center was founded in 1980 and assists victims of domestic violence and aims to change the pattern of abuse in the lives of women and children. She previously partnered with Michael Kors’ Watch Hunger Stop campaign and the United Nations World Food Programme to raise awareness for building a world with zero hunger. Berry has supported a vast amount of charities and organizations such as, Revlon Run/Walk, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Afghanistan Relief Organization, Stand Up to Cancer, Love Our Children USA and Clothes Off Our Back and Black Lives Matter.
In 2020, Berry founded rē•spin which is a platform created to provide broader access to health and wellness content and products through inclusivity and conversation. Rooted in discovery and learning, the heart of rē•spin is its global community connected around the core belief of a holistic mind, body, and soul approach to wellness.
WHO: With 1.5 million members and growing every day, GirlTrek is the largest public health movement and nonprofit for Black women and girls in the United States. GirlTrek inspires and supports Black women to live their healthiest, most fulfilled lives through radical self-care and daily walking.
WHAT: Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry will serve as GirlTrek’s Black Family 5K National Race Captain.
WHEN: Thanksgiving weekend: Most walks will happen on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day and others on Friday and Saturday morning.
HOW: Register at blackfamily5k.com. The Black Family 5K is supported by Release the Pressure, a diverse coalition of health care organizations and heart health experts including the American Medical Association (AMA), AMA Foundation, American Heart Association, Association of Black Cardiologists, National Medical Association and Minority Health Institute who are dedicated to partnering with the Black community to improve heart health.
Hosting a Black Family 5K walk is simple and free. Register at blackfamily5k.com to create an official race kit for your family complete with official T-shirts, customizable race bibs, victory medals and more. Don’t let distance stop you. If your family doesn’t live near you, you can still participate by planning a virtual Black Family 5K. Hop on a phone call, FaceTime or send pictures to the group chat while everyone goes for a walk.
