OneLegacy's Community Wellness Event and Panel Inspired Hundreds of South LA Participants to Become Their Own Health Advocates

Hundreds of local residents visited the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza this past Saturday to attend OneLegacy's Connecting the Dots: Hip Hop & Health Community Event and Panel. This inaugural event hosted by the local organ procurement organization offered a variety of free services including free A1C and High Cholesterol health screenings from OneLegacy's OPO/HBCU Coalition partner, Charles Drew Medical School, as well as free oral hygiene services from Chinatown Service Center. The event also included free haircuts, manicures, yoga and wellness sessions, COVID-19 tests, and fresh produce, followed by a health panel.

The panel was moderated by impact Producer, Artepreneur, and HBCU graduate Maleena Lawrence and featured California Black Health Network's Executive Director, Rhonda Smith, who shared vital information about African Americans and health. Hip-Hop legend, kidney transplant recipient and donor father, Leslie Pridgen, better known as Freeway, as well as kidney recipient, celebrity TV and radio host, Nicole Richardson of The Nikki Rich Show and Compton-native, writer, comedian, filmmaker and sickle cell warrior, J. Snow also participated in the panel, sharing their personal experiences with healthcare and promoting health advocacy among African Americans.

"I went to the hospital. I was in end-stage renal failure, and I had to get pushed straight to dialysis, and this is what we are trying to prevent from happening to the people," Freeway shared with the audience as he detailed his journey back to health and into advocacy. "It is important to have a good relationship with your doctor, to ask questions, so you know what is going on," continued Freeway. Likewise, J. Snow asked everyone to pay attention to the signs and watch what you eat and what you do to stay healthy, and Nicole Richardson encouraged the audience to take advantage of the opportunities around them and advocate for their own health.

A large stage anchored the center of the mall with welcoming words from District 10 Councilmember, Heather Hutt, music from DJ R-tistic, guests like Yoga and Wellness influencer Jonelle Lewis, testimonials from OneLegacy Ambassadors Kevito Clark (kidney recipient) and Vinnie Brooks (heart recipient), and the dynamic rhythm and dances of the Xsplosive Drill Team.

Complimentary raffle prizes were distributed throughout the event, including Marathon clothing, an exercise bike, air purifiers, and backpacks. Children enjoyed face painting, balloon art, and a 360-revolving photobooth.

OneLegacy is a local organ procurement organization that serves seven counties in Southern California, and the Connecting the Dots program started in the summer of 2020 as a virtual panel to reach communities of color. This program has now expanded its reach to live events, in order to engage a wider audience.

E'Tiffany Jones, Head of Communications and Strategic Partnerships at OneLegacy created the Connecting the Dots platform and she explained. "The vision was simple, Engaging our communities and Connecting the Dots. Our goal is to be a trusted partner in the community to inspire and empower the audiences when we host engagements. We want to leave people informed with resources and services that advance health equity for black and brown communities."

Connecting the Dots: Hip Hop & Health kicked off National Kidney Month, simultaneously providing closure to Black History Month. The participation of African American organ transplant recipients and health advocates helped navigate the critical conversation of healthcare advocacy among communities of color. With higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure than the rest of the U.S. population, African Americans experience a higher risk of organ failure. African Americans comprise about thirteen percent of the population but account for thirty-five percent of the kidney failures in the United States. More than 28 thousand African Americans in the United States are currently waiting for an organ that would save their lives.

About OneLegacy

OneLegacy is the nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives through organ, eye and tissue donation in seven counties in Southern California: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and Kern. It serves more than 200 hospitals, 10 transplant centers, a diverse population of 20 million people across the region and waiting recipients across the country. Becoming an eye, organ or tissue donor is easy and can be done by registering online at donateLIFEcalifornia.org/OneLegacy or by "checking YES" at your local DMV. For more information, visit OneLegacy.org