Bull Swamp Baptist shares Black History Month messages

Bull Swamp Baptist Church is holding a month’s worth of events for Black History Month with the theme “Black Resistance.”

The first event of this month focused on health and wellness, with health professionals joining the effort.

One of them was director of the PCI Cardiology Heart Health Program, Christina Walker.

“It was a fantastic time,” Walker said. “I have an opportunity to share what I’m passionate about, heart disease, with the community. It’s always a good feeling for me. I’m excited to be here and looking forward to more opportunities.”

She came to speak about the challenges that the African-American community faces and how to overcome or combat them.

“See your doctor, listen to your bodies and take your medications,” Walker said.

“Those three things are the best thing you can do for yourself to make sure you remain healthy: eating right, exercise, but most importantly, listening to your body,” Walker said.

The other guest was Karie Fersner, a nurse practitioner at the Regional Medical Center.

She came to speak about Women’s health to the audience.

Fersner spoke about the differing issues that Black women, especially around their middle age and up, deal with. For her, it was great to be able to share that information with the women in her community.

“It means the world. Women’s health is my life, and my sole purpose of going back to school to pursue my advanced practice nurse degree, because I saw the lack of education and I saw the lack of providers that look like and reflect the community,” Fersner said.

“Women’s health is near and dear to my heart. It’s Heart Month and there’s a lot of conditions that we as Black women are more at risk for,” Fersner said.

“The best thing I can do is try to get across the message: advocate for yourself and invest in your own health and make the lifestyle changes we need to make to hopefully avoid some of those conditions,” Fersner said.

The same was for Walker who also discussed some of the reasons why African-Americans have such problems with their heart compared to other people groups. One of them being the “slavery hypertension theory.”

“It felt really important to me, especially sharing about the slavery hypertension theory sharing that knowledge on what we might have went through and survived,” Walker said.

“That’s, also our history of who we are as a people and it also plays into what we’re doing as far as our cardiovascular health. Heart month, Black history, it’s a perfect opportunity for me, and I enjoyed every minute of it,” Walker said.

Bull Swamp Baptist Church is holding its events from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Saturdays at the church, located at 112 Purity Street, Orangeburg.

Schedule of events:

• Feb. 11: Our Youth and their talents. Speaker: Steven Corey Morrison, Emmy award winner, ESPN. Youth choir and young people will show off some of their talents. A DJ will be available for young people after the morning program.

• Feb. 18: Asking people to wear African attire. Prayer brunch: Donation $5. Speaker: Chief Charles Austin, director of Orangeburg Department of Public Safety. Mass Choir will be performing. Musical selections by Dr. James Stroman and dance monologue by Geronme Graham.

• Feb. 19: Congregation asked to wear African attire during morning services. Mass Choir will perform a series of Gospel spirituals and Whom I am segment every Sunday Morning.