03 Aug Community-Led Black Wellness Hub to Open in Antioch

Gigi Crowder, executive director at NAMI Contra Costa, attends a protest at the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office in Martinez on March 29, 2022. (Ray Saint Germain / Bay City News)

By Samantha Kennedy
Bay City News

A Contra Costa County woman is taking Black wellness into her own hands after she said county plans for a health and wellness center are taking too long.

Gigi Crowder, the executive director of the Contra Costa affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is launching a community-led African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub at the Delta Bay Community Church in Antioch.

“It just became apparent to me that we needed our own place to heal because all of these institutions have so many disparities specific to African Americans,” said Crowder.

Her proposed hub, which would open Aug. 8, comes after the Board of Supervisors allocated more than $8.9 million for a similar facility in a county building in Antioch.

The county launched plans for the hub after a scandal involving the Antioch Police Department revealed racist texts and civil rights violations by officers while on duty.

The county would set up a facility with pop-up services as soon as next year. But Crowder says the hub won’t actually be in final form until 2029.

County officials didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. Supervisors plan to vote Aug. 12 on steps that would set in motion mobile and pop-up services in early 2026, according to the county’s website.

A feasibility study commissioned by supervisors proposed the building at 1650 Cavallo Road be used for the county’s permanent hub. Antioch councilmembers threw in their unanimous support months ago, but Crowder said it wasn’t the right location for a hub.

“Many of us feel it would not be safe,” said Crowder. “I would never refer any elder to go to Cavallo.”

Crowder envisions that the community-led hub will bring together several organizations to offer services to residents. Some that have expressed interest are the East County NAACP and Lift Up Contra Costa, according to Crowder.

Crowder imagines a mural of Black community leaders on the wall of the hub — including former Supervisor Federal D. Glover, the first person of color to serve on the Board. Glover served as a supervisor for more than two decades.

Crowder credits Glover for his advocacy for the county hub.

“He initiated the 1 million and everyone got all excited about that,” said Crowder, referring to Glover’s successful push for $1 million to be allocated to move closer to the county hub being realized.

Crowder said she’s invited local elected officials to the opening and expects District Attorney Diana Becton to attend.

The grand opening of the community-led African American Holistic Wellness and Resource Hub is scheduled at Delta Bay Community Church, 1020 Tregallas Road, at 3 p.m. Aug. 8.

More information on how to support the hub can be found at Crowder’s GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-healing-for-african-americans-in-contra-costa-county.

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