Health & Spiritual Wellness

Historically, blacks have been under-served in the health arena.  During the Civil Rights era, unauthorized abortions and hysterectomies were routinely performed to stifle reproduction in black communities.  Today, the issue of disparities in health care continue to manifest.  African American children are more likely to suffer from infant mortality, SIDS, asthma, obesity and depression.  Their adult parents are more likely to die from stroke, breast cancer, cervical cancer, diabetes and HIV.  Individuals in the black communities have known and experienced these injustices but now studies and research have validated them.  

There is a significant gulf between access, awareness and optimal care and the black community that has stood the test of time.  In Kansas, the number of blacks who have severe health conditions lead all other races in every category, yet they make up only 5.6% of the total population, according to Kansas Health Matters.  It is a priority of the Chaney Legacy Foundation to serve the Greater Wichita Community by providing programming, partnership and support in eradicating this epidemic.

For generations, the role of the church in the black community has been multi-faceted.  Not only have people relied on it for spiritual enrichment and guidance, it has historically been a conduit for political and communal information as well as social gatherings.  In the 1800s churches established colleges for “negroes” who would otherwise be turned away from collegiate opportunities because of their skin color.  In the 1900s churches were very instrumental in organizing some of the most prolific Civil Rights events in United States history.

“Historically the black church has been a place for creating individual, systemic, and political change within the black community. From its emergence in the late 18th century to its present day relevance, the black church has and will always serve as a safe haven for African Americans, a place to worship God together, and a place where we are motivated to rebuild our communities.” -Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, The Village

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “We cannot continue to just attend church and leave; we need to attend church with a purpose and leave with an anointing and an agenda.”  A former practice that has declined over time, the Chaney Legacy Foundation wishes to re-establish and heighten the prominence of the church in individual lives and the community.