Weight Watchers International, Inc. (WW) has joined The Female Quotient (TFQ) and Tai Life Media Agency for a free wellness and self-love masterclass series for HBCU students. Premised on the well-being of students of color, the series started on Feb. 25 in conjunction with the WW Wellness Club’s launch.
A second event, Thriving Like Me, was held on March 31. Hosted by Howard University student Taylor Crawford, the event stressed the importance of mental health care for Black college students. The keynote was given by Spelman alumna Tai Beauchamp, Co-Founder of Brown Girl Jane.
Other participating HBCU alumna included Dr. Jessica Clemons, Tuskegee University; Morgan Harris, Southern State University; Christelle Haygood, Florida A&M University and Briana Thompson and Asia Ware, Hampton University.
Mental health fragility is taboo in many circles and often dismissed by college students. It’s the time when young people come into their lives and are mostly likely to feel immortal. This can be disastrous. Untended mental health stressors and past traumas rarely work themselves out alone. College is a time for high social needs, too, and the pandemic’s isolation has deepened concerns. In an encouraging sign, students pushed for help and WW, TFQ and Tai Life responded.
“Thriving Like Me was inspired by students seeking authentic wellness conversations and education from their peers on all things wellness,” a WW spokesperson said. “We focused this HBCU event on mindset. Black adults are more likely than white adults to report persistent symptoms of emotional distress, such as sadness, hopelessness and feeling like everything is an effort. Through this event we wanted to elevate the importance of mental wellness, and create a space for conversation.”
The March 31 virtual panel was well-attended, a positive sign that Black students’ mental health needs will be more deeply addressed going forward.
