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Primary Submission Category: Structural factors
Fostering Belonging & Civic Muscle as a Vital Condition: A Community-Led Black Health Equity Initiative in Allentown, PA
Authors: Aika Aluc, Hasshan Batts, Fathima Wakeel, Nyambura Mbugua-Daisley, Carmen Bell, Katarah Jordan,
Presenting Author: Aika Aluc*
The Allentown Community Black Health Equity Project is a place-based, community-led initiative designed to advance health equity by strengthening the vital conditions for thriving within Allentown’s Black community. Grounded in the Vital Conditions for Health and Equity framework, the project centers Belonging and Civic Muscle as both a foundational condition for health and a practical capacity that enables progress across other domains, including humane housing, meaningful work, lifelong learning, basic needs, and environmental safety.
Led by Promise Neighborhoods of the Lehigh Valley in partnership with faith and academic institutions and community organizations, the initiative integrates participatory research, community governance, storytelling, and policy advocacy. A key project milestone is community convenings designed to surface community-defined priorities, strengthen cross-sector relationships, and engage allies in shared accountability and systems change.
This presentation describes the project’s design, implementation strategy, and early lessons, with particular attention to how belonging and civic participation are operationalized through community engagement, narrative practices, and collaborative infrastructure. Drawing on qualitative insights, the case study highlights challenges, adaptations, and opportunities for sustaining community power in mid-sized cities. Findings offer practical guidance for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers seeking to translate the Vital Conditions framework and related community-centered approaches into community-driven action.