The GBFH Movement IsA New Kind of Guide
Rather than offering generic solutions to healthcare inequities, we center what Black patients already know: the combination of our shared experience by word of mouth is one of the most powerful resources we have.
The GBFH is currently serving communities in the East Coast and South, with a plan to become a national resource.”
Grounded In Experience
Built FromWisdomThis project brings together two kinds of knowledge that deeply shape Black health: what we’ve lived and what we’ve learned.
Experienced healthcare workers
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Caregivers who’ve fought for answers
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Patients who’ve felt unseen & dismissed
Their insights help illuminate the patterns, challenges, and possibilities within the healthcare system, offering a clearer path forward for others.
The Green Book for Health is not simply information; it’s a collective voice.
The Green Book for Health draws inspiration from the Negro Motorist Green Book, created by Victor Hugo Green during the Jim Crow era to help Black travelers move safely through a segregated and often dangerous country. Its impact reached far beyond logistics. It helped people reclaim mobility, dignity, and independence.
The Legacy We Stand On
The Original Green Book Offered:
Community-sourced guidance from local networks.
A map of safety during Jim Crow.
Lists of businesses that served Black travelers.
That same spirit of shared safety guides this work today.
We've formed the internal team and advisors and held our first focus groups.
We've launched our public website and are preparing to roll out our social media platforms shortly to reach even more community members.
We have begun gathering survey feedback to fill our Community Guide and are actively sourcing more survey feedback.
We've held over 10 forums to introduce the GBFH movement to the public (as of January 2026).
We have initial funding and are continuing to explore additional resources.
Project Status
Below is an overview of our current progress as we build the core guide, deepen community engagement, gather resources, and roll out the digital and social media elements of the project.
Meet The Team Behind The Green Book For Health
STELLA SAFO, MD, MPH
Founder of Just Equity for Health, Stella Safo is an HIV primary care physician invested in providing equitable care for marginalized populations.
SHANTEL GAMBLE
Director of Operations for ARIAH Foundation and Spirit of a Woman, LLC, Shantel infuses spirit, ritual, and social justice with integrative wellness to cultivate joy, agency, connections, cultural healing, and transformation for BIPOC families.
SHAWNEE BENTON GIBSON, LMSW / FDLC
Co-Founder of the ARIAH Foundation and CEO of Spirit of a Woman, LLC, Shawnee blends art, healing, and activism to decolonize healthcare and cultivate agency, access, and power for BIPOC communities in their wellness journeys.
LEILA COLE
Founder of Elle Sees NYC, Leila Cole is a creative storyteller whose fashion industry experience across marketing, public relations, publishing, and strategy has impactfully taken shape into a professional pivot to law and public health. A soon-to-be JD MPH Candidate, she is committed to advancing health equity for all.
