Programs

Advocacy

Over the past 35 years, NHBW, Inc. has confronted issues adversely affecting the African American family and communities at large. Our chapters focus their programming on family literacy, health wellness and domestic violence awareness.

Reading For Life

The NHBW Reading for Life Literacy Initiative is a grassroots movement established to help raise reading levels for students across the country. Our mission is to provide the tools and resources needed to encourage family literacy. We plan to increase childhood literacy by providing books and materials to support a child’s successful transition into the educational school system through outreach and awareness to parents about the importance of reading readiness.

Our goal is to increase the percentage of students reading by the time they enter kindergarten by providing access to free books from established literacy based resource centers in daycares, nursery and elementary schools, and for after school programs.

This goal will be reached by the following:

Creating partnerships with targeted daycare centers and elementary schools to bridge the education gap and help children reach their full potential.
Dedicating Reading Rooms and Reading Corners across Nashville and the surrounding communities, which will allows children and adults to take free books from our literacy based resource centers.
Hosting Parent Workshops to reinforce the importance of early (birth to 5) instruction in reading and supporting parents as the child's first teacher.
Spending quality time reading to students in schools, community centers, daycare centers and other places where youth are in attendance.
Providing free books and resources to families that will encourage a life long love of reading.

Our motto is to "Read, swap and keep books!

Our Reading Rooms and Corners

Kelly Miller Smith Center Against Abusive Behavior

Fifty Forward-Bordeaux

Celebration of Life Community Church, Madison

Hamilton United Methodist Church, Antioch

Health Wellness

The NHBW Health Wellness programs address disparities that exist in the U.S. healthcare system. Data from the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health Across the U.S. (REACH U.S.) Risk Factor Survey of approximately 30 communities continue to have lower socioeconomic status, greater barriers to healthcare access, and greater risks for, and burden of, disease compared with the general population living in the same county or state. Disparities in healthcare access and quality can result in unnecessary direct and indirect costs. (MMWR Supplemental Report, CDC Health Disparities and Inequalities Report, 2013) The NHBW Nashville Chapter's approach is to aid our community in reducing health disparities such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and mental health. Each year we campaign to help African American families improve their health by increasing awareness of their health status, motivate behavior changes by disseminating information at workshops, health fairs and events, and encouraging them to pledge to share the information with others.

Domestic Violence

TOP (Teen Overcoming Pressure) is a national program that aims to teach teenagers how to identify healthy versus unhealthy relationships, in addition to early warning signs of abuse relationships, violent markers and controlling and manipulative behavior. Through this program, it is our goal to not only reduce the incidence of teen dating violence, but to promote healthy relationships by guiding our youth through positive self-image, effective mannerisms, positive behaviors and self-motivation. Our chapter's TOP program is a collaboration with local youth organizations, and professionally trained facilitators. We also provide support to annual Domestic Violence programs for adults. We collaborated with other women's organizations to sponsor a program called "Domestic Violence: It is not a shame, It is a crime!" at TSU in October 2013. In addition, we partnered with the Meharry Women's Center, Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, and other organizations to support the Tony Porter Engaging Men Event at TSU in February of 2014.

Quick Links

Our Work in Progress

1st Annual Reaching for the Stars Teen Summit

Over 40 young men and young women united in one accord at our 1st Annual "Reaching for the Stars" Teen Summit. Self-Esteem, Bullying, Domestic Violence, Health, Nutrition, College Prep and Job Prep Workshops provided the youth with various techniques to become positive role models and future leaders throughout the world. The keynote speaker was Marcus Meneese of the Stronger than My Father organization. Workshop Facilitators were Christina Coleman, Desi Smith, Arlene Martin-Norman, Sharon Travis, Detective Kelvin Jones, Robert Robinson, Marilyn Bell and Bobby Edmonds. Special thanks to our sponsors: The Omni Hotel, Dollar General, First Baptist Church of Murfreesboro and NHBW Nashville Chapter. Click here to view photos from the event.

Supporting our Partners

Brenda Gilmore, President NHBW Nashville, with Lee Fairbend, Founder of Book'em, and Leigh Lindsey, former President of Book'em Board of Directors, help volunteers celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Book'em on Friday, October 3. Bookem is one of NHBW Nashville's partners in putting books in children's hand. A child that can read is more likely to stay in school and graduate.

Annual African American Read-In

NHBW hosted an African American Read-In at the Ted Rhodes Golf Course in February. We had a book signing by Attorney and Former School Board member, Ed Kindall, and 'Mother' Bernice Brunson read two of her original poems. This was a joint effort with Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

NHBW Has Dedicated Two Reading Corners This Year

Rev. Mary Carpenter invited us to partner with her Dream Centers by placing Reading Corners in two afterschool programs. They are located at the Celebration of Life Community Church's Dream Center in Madison, TN and the Hamilton United Methodist Church in Antioch, TN.

Our First Parent Workshop

We have so many community partners to thank for helping us to host our first Early Literacy/Family Literacy Parent Workshop at Lake Providence Missionary Baptist Church's Back2School Fair on August 2, 2014. Parents, along with their Pre-School through Kindergartner aged children were invited to participate in The Joy of Reading interactive workshop facilitated by Nashville Public Library. The children were provided very durable back sacks with school supplies donated by Office Depot Foundation, and school supplies, a puzzle and a book from NHBW Nashville Chapter. Subway and Sonic donated food coupons as a way of awarding parents to read a book to their children. Lake Providence provided the space where the parents seemed to have more fun than the children while learning how to read to them in fun ways. Click this link to view photos from our Literacy Initiative.

Literacy Community Partners

United Way of Metropolitan Nashville

Read to Succeed

Nashville Public Library

Bringing Books to Life

Book'em

Health Wellness

NHBW's President Deborah Summers recently highlighted an article entitled "Black Women's Mental Health: It Takes Courage To Ask For Help" sent to her by Nashville Chapter's Health Wellness Committee Chair, Cynthia Bond to read the article, click on the link.

Also for more information about the topic of Women's Mental Health, click here to download copies of the Women's Mental Health Booklet from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health.