This Activist Wants to Make Health and Wellness Accessible to Everyone in Philly

Sudan Green is one of our 2020 Health Hero semi-finalists. | Photo by Breanne Furlong, design by Meredith Getzfread.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be chatting with our semi-finalists in the 2020 Be Well Philly Health Hero Challenge brought to you by Independence Blue Cross to give you a glimpse of the people who are helping Philadelphians live healthier lives. Vote to help decide which of these 10 semi-finalists become one of three finalists in the running to be our 2020 Health Hero — and get a sizable donation to a charity of their choice — here. Remember, you can vote once a day until October 1st!

Name: Sudan Green, founder of Spirits Up!, an organization dedicated to opening up more health and wellness spaces for the Black community in Philadelphia.

Nonprofit of choice: Believe in Students. An estimated six million students struggle with basic living expenses, putting them at risk of leaving without degrees, which hurts the economy and our communities. Believe in Students is dedicated to ensuring that all students have their basic needs met, so that they can learn and thrive.

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What motivates you to try and make Philadelphia a healthier place?

The motivation most definitely comes from the lack of healthcare the Black community receives, as well as the statistics of how Black women are often treated inside of almost all healthcare systems. My ethnicity and culture definitely fuel my want for a healthier Philadelphia.

Describe a health or fitness related turning point in your life.

A turning point for me was losing basketball. After high school it was like I lost a little piece of me. It was definitely a reality check about taking control of your own health and wellness. It was a huge difference in my life not having teammates to hold you accountable.

What policy would you institute to make Greater Philadelphia a healthier region?

Free healthcare for all. (DREAMMMMMS.)

What’s the most important part of your health or wellness regimen?

The most important part to me is the food! Healthy foods take you so far — changing my diet has 100% changed my life. If I mess up my diet for a couple days and get off track, you do not want to be around me.

What is your number one piece of health-related advice?

It would definitely be to find your happy place. Test out different ecosystems and play around with how you work out. Also, if working out is hard for you, find that happy place in the comfort of your home first. Build your base strength at home. Everyone is so caught up in the class mentality that they forget to be an individual and get activated that way too. So, definitely put on that YouTube class and get going. Also, strive for a more diverse class, because the homogenous culture we are getting lost in is not it! We need more faces and more inclusivity inside of the gyms. We need more access for more people!

Check out all the Health Hero semi-finalists, and remember to vote HERE now. (Remember, you can vote once a day until October 1st!) Stay in touch with @bewellphilly and @phillymagevents and be sure to follow the challenge using #BWPHealthHero!

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