Today is the final day of the first ever National Community Health Worker Awareness Week. On behalf of the NACHW founders, directors, and staff, we would like to thank each individual and organization, who took time to celebrate, commemorate, and collaborate in activities that lifted up community health workers from diverse races, ethnicities, languages, genders, geographies, sectors, and experiences.

As you can see from the numerous blogs, podcasts, pictures and videos that were shared this week-CHW is a umbrella term, not a monolith. Our founders endorsed the term to unite community health representatives, promotoras, aunties/uncles, outreach workers and others into a national organization that would amplify our collective commitment to the communities where we live and serve! There is no one story, not one research article, not one set of data, not one job description that can encompass all of our identity, leadership, and vision. And when systems, sectors, funders, and policymakers oversimplify and standardize our identity and roles, this only serves to diminish the impact that CHWs can have on health and wellbeing. The history of our profession is rooted in diverse cultures, indigenous traditions, antiracism, survivorship, boots on the ground innovation, and our deep faith in capacity of communities to realize health, equity, and social justice.

And so the future of our profession depends upon CHW self-determination, self-actualization, community power, and the relentless pursuit of equity. Nothing about us without us! CHWs and allies, this is the movement! Let’s come together and address the wicked problems of generation, and envision a world in which every person can access what they need to achieve health and well-being. CHWs are the workforce we need for the world we want! We invite your continued collaboration and perspective as a member and partner as we continue the movement. Thank you again for celebrating with us!