Whole-person care for Black and brown communities, rooted in dignity and healing

Health and Wellness

The I Am Human Foundation builds a complete continuum of health and wellness care for the people we serve. Clinical navigation. Cancer screening. Mental health support. Healing arts. Wellness programming. Rest. Joy. We treat health as a whole-person practice, not a series of disconnected appointments, because our communities deserve care that meets them where they are and stays with them through every part of life.

Our health and wellness work is rooted in three commitments. The first is that lived experience belongs in the room. The people who navigate care best are people who have needed care themselves. The second is that mental, physical, and spiritual health are inseparable. We cannot heal one without honoring the others. The third is that joy is a clinical intervention. Black and brown LGBTQ+ communities have been denied joy as long as we have been denied care. Restoring both is part of the work.

Below are the programs we currently operate within our Health and Wellness focus area, organized by program type so you can find the work that matches your needs or interests.

Sexual Health and Cancer Care

  • Men Like Us — Peer-led HIV navigation built by and for Black and brown men. Includes peer navigators, testing, PrEP and PEP access support, treatment adherence support, and brotherhood-rooted support groups.
  • Navigate to Life — Cancer screening navigation closing the survival gap for Black and brown men, including Black trans men. Covers prostate, colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer pathways with continued support after diagnosis.
  • Reproductive Health Navigation — Reproductive health support designed for Black trans men and gender expansive community members navigating reproductive care, family planning, fertility preservation, and pregnancy in settings where they will not be misgendered or refused care. Built in response to a gap in care that has cost our community for too long.
  • Health Literacy and Self-Advocacy — Workshops and one-on-one support teaching community members how to navigate medical appointments, ask the right questions, understand lab results and diagnoses, and advocate for themselves with providers who do not always listen.

Mental Wellness and Healing

  • Mental Health Navigation — Connection to trans-affirming and culturally rooted mental health providers, peer support, and crisis resources.
  • Creative Healing Studio — Trauma-informed creative arts programming using movement, writing, music, and visual art as vehicles for healing.
  • Conflict Healing Practice — Trauma-informed de-escalation, conflict mediation, and restorative practice for individuals, families, and community organizations.

Movement and Embodiment

  • Yoga and Movement — Gentle yoga, breathwork, and embodiment practices led by Black and brown teachers, designed for people whose relationship with their bodies has been shaped by trauma, transition, illness, or survival.
  • Healing Hands Wellness Days — Community wellness events offering therapeutic massage and bodywork, with priority for trans community members, people living with HIV, and elders.

Healing After Harm

  • Reentry Healing Pathway — Wellness programming designed specifically for community members returning home from incarceration. Includes stabilization support, trauma-informed group programming, and connection to affirming providers.
  • The Homecoming Practice — Community-rooted wellness practice for people rebuilding their lives after disruption, displacement, or systemic harm. Designed for people navigating reentry, recovery, transition, or major life change.

Community Programming

  • Black Boy Joy Retreat — A three-day healing and empowerment retreat for Black men across the spectrum of masculine experience. (COMING SOON)
  • Circle Programs — Our suite of small-group wellness offerings, including peer-led healing circles, support groups, and identity-based affinity spaces.
  • Community Wellness Series — Ongoing community programming covering nutrition, stress management, harm reduction, sexual wellness, and the practical realities of taking care of yourself when systems have not taken care of you.
  • Whole Person Wellness Initiative — Our comprehensive wellness program framework, integrating mental, physical, and spiritual care for Black and brown LGBTQ+ communities.

Who We Serve

Black and brown community members across the lifespan. We prioritize trans and gender nonconforming people, people living with HIV, men disconnected from primary care, youth navigating mental health crises, and elders whose wellness has been overlooked by mainstream programming. Our health and wellness programs are open to community members regardless of insurance status, immigration status, or ability to pay.

Why It Matters

The communities we serve have been failed by health systems for generations. We have been told what is wrong with us by people who do not look like us, do not live like us, and do not understand the conditions that shape our lives. The result is a population that often arrives at care too late, or never arrives at all. Our health and wellness work changes that equation. We build care from inside the community, led by people who have lived what they are now resourced to address. That is not a service model. That is healing justice.

How to Connect

For questions about any of our health and wellness programs, to schedule a wellness service, or to learn about upcoming workshops and retreats, email info@iamhumanfoundation.org and reference the specific program you are interested in. For mental health crisis support outside our office hours, please reach out to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or visit your nearest emergency room.