After dedicating 10 years of her life to the fitness industry, T’Nisha Symone realized something was missing — community, more specifically, the Black community. From the products offered in her gym’s locker room to her clientele, it became clear that the luxury fitness space was built for others. In hopes of changing the industry for the better, Symone founded BLAQUE Fitness, an inventive fitness and wellness brand and both digital and physical facility designed for the Black community, by the Black community.
“With BLAQUE, I wanted to develop a luxury fitness experience where the Black community is the priority,” Symone writes in an article published on WellAndGood.com. “We are being very intentional about ensuring that our first physical space will be in a Black neighborhood in NYC, and we’re considering more inclusive pricing strategies like a sliding price scale so that the offerings are affordable for everyone who wants to participate, no matter how much they’re able to spend on fitness.”
The U.S. Healthcare System Is Failing the Black Community
For years, well before the coronavirus hit, Black people across the country (regardless of their socioeconomic status) have been struggling with preventable chronic illnesses at alarmingly-high rates. What’s worse? Black Americans experience a lower quality of care than the nation as a whole, resulting in early-death from partially treatable (or preventable) health conditions had they received timely, adequate medical care.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Minority Health, the death rate for Black people is higher than that of whites for “heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, influenza and pneumonia, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and homicide.”
These solemn facts have made it nearly impossible for the Black community to stand a chance against COVID-19. According to a study published by the Foundation for AIDS Research, half of all COVID-19 cases and nearly 60 percent of coronavirus-related deaths in the U.S. occurred in counties that are disproportionately Black.
“When we look at the COVID-19 mortality rates, Black Americans have died at the highest rates,” Dr. Uché Blackstock, founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity tells Slate.com. “The virus has been allowed to essentially run throughout our communities because of lack of any federal leadership around the pandemic,” Dr. Blackstock continues. “If you have jobs that are putting you on the front lines, you’re going to be exposed to the coronavirus. If you are living in overcrowded housing, which is more likely to occur in our communities because of lack of affordable housing and lack of opportunities for homeownership, then you’re going to be in environments where you’re more likely to be infected. Even thinking about who is using public transportation and who is less likely to be able to afford a car, we’re looking at our communities.”
BLAQUE Isn’t Just a Luxury Fitness Center, It’s a Safe Space for Black People To Thrive
To combat the negative impact our healthcare system is having on the overall health and well-being of Black people, BLAQUE is offering an inclusive, immersive fitness and wellness experience. BLAQUE isn’t just a luxe fitness center, it’s a digital and physical space where Black people can come and focus on “cultivating wellness through movement.”
“We want members to walk into our gym or log on to our platform and feel like they’re home,” Symone writes. “They’ll see people who look like them, they’ll hear music and experience visuals that are meaningful to them. Our signature classes are being designed with music and motion that resonates with our culture in a way that we haven’t seen anywhere. Often in the Black community, movement is a form of celebration, release, and healing. We are bringing that into our space with classes that focus on the joy of movement.”
Shift the Narrative and Support BLAQUE
Symone is currently using iFundWomen — a crowdfunding platform that empowers female entrepreneurs with the tools they need to raise money for their businesses — to support BLAQUE and its mission to make fitness, and an overall sense of wellness, accessible to the Black community. The funds raised will be used to support the launch of BLAQUE’S digital platform, outdoor pop-up events, and its first physical location in New York City.
Right now, the campaign is backed by 115 funders, totaling $29,405. (That’s $70, 595 less than the campaign’s end goal.)
While BLAQUE does not exclude people of other backgrounds, its main purpose is to cater to the needs of members of the Black community first.
After dedicating 10 years of her life to the fitness industry, T’Nisha Symone realized something was missing — community, more specifically, the Black community. From the products offered in her gym’s locker room to her clientele, it became clear that the luxury fitness space was built for others. In hopes of changing the industry for the better, Symone founded BLAQUE Fitness, an inventive fitness and wellness brand and both digital and physical facility designed for the Black community, by the Black community.
“With BLAQUE, I wanted to develop a luxury fitness experience where the Black community is the priority,” Symone writes in an article published on WellAndGood.com. “We are being very intentional about ensuring that our first physical space will be in a Black neighborhood in NYC, and we’re considering more inclusive pricing strategies like a sliding price scale so that the offerings are affordable for everyone who wants to participate, no matter how much they’re able to spend on fitness.”
