Tool #1

Empowerment is a phenomenal tool for health promotion because it has the ability to reach all members of the Black community, regardless of socioeconomic status. This strategy will avoid alienation of people based on variables that are not directly amenable to change. "Tailoring" health intervention strategies will no longer be necessary, potentially increasing the cost-effectiveness of these strategies. How can health promotion professionals empower the Black community toward better health behaviors? The African origins of Blacks largely influence their worldview, and therefore, must be part of the solution to the health disparity problem. “African-American culture, although integral to and evolved within the US plurality, retains elements of African culture…” (Airhihenbuwa, et al., 2000). “What agency exists within African American communities to counter the oppressive forces of power imposed on this population?” (Airhihenbuwa and Liburd, 2006). Encouraging Blacks to reconnect with the best of who they are can potentially have the greatest impact on the health status of Blacks. Empowerment means transforming the concept of power as it relates to the Black community in terms of “constitutive versus repressive power, ‘power to’ [versus] ‘power over’, and power as relation [versus] power as action” (Airhihenbuwa and Liburd, 2006).