A year and a half ago, she started the monthly meetings at Olympia Medical Plaza -- part support group, part lecture series, part guided tour of healthful living in the second 50 years of life. No subject is off-limits. Few bodily functions go unmentioned.
Brownn knows that helping African American women be as healthy as everyone else is a daunting task, that Sisters Staying Healthy is one very small step. But she also knows that "in our little circle, you can touch one person's life and that can make a difference." Brownn spreads the word via e-mail, website and chutzpah. She recruited one member on a flight between Sacramento and Los Angeles.
Her target audience: midlife, middle-class African American women stretched to the limit with jobs and responsibilities. Brownn counts herself among them. She is 58, has a master's degree in gerontology and a condo in Culver City. She spent a decade caring for her ailing mother, who died at 79. She is single and has no children.
Brownn will not divulge her weight through the years. But she is just under 5 feet 2, and she once wore size 22. Six clothing sizes hang in her closet today. She eats like a diabetic, because she does not want to become one -- nothing white, everything steamed. Chocolate hasn't passed her lips since 1996.
"This is sort of now or never," she admitted to the group at its May meeting. "Being connected to this group, I don't know if it's helping anybody else, but it's helping me. There's something about being accountable to other people and knowing that other people are going to be asking about you and want to see you do well."
And how well is Brownn doing?
"I'm wearing white pants in a size I haven't worn." She stops. A pause. A smile. "I don't think I wore this size at birth." The women laugh and clap. Brownn continues: "There are a lot of things going on in my life right now that aren't working. But you know, I feel healthy."
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"I'm Michelle Kemp, and I took that bold step to remove myself from a toxic work environment." "I'm Liz Smith, and I made a commitment to myself recently that I'm going to take better care of myself." "I'm Brigette Kidd, and this is my second meeting. This is great that I came today, because I was actually feeling a little low."
That's how every session of Sisters Staying Healthy begins. It's the real heart of Brownn's effort: Who are you and what have you done to take care of yourself lately? Beyond the simple act of connection, beyond encouragement and support, telling their stories allows these women to share information in a way many never have before.
