{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"117 - Dr. Tara Blackshear, Bling-Health Founder","description":" Tara B. Blackshear is a distinguished equity scholar focusing on health, physical activity, and education. Currently an Associate Professor of Kinesiology and program coordinator for the Physical Education Teacher Education program at Towson University, she has dedicated her career to fostering inclusive and equitable educational policies and practices. Dr. Blackshear earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in physical education from Florida A&M University and a doctorate in education in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. With 17 years of diverse P-12 teaching experience across public, private, charter, and international schools in the United States, Egypt, and Thailand, Dr. Blackshear brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. Before her overseas experiences, she spent three years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she played a pivotal role in preventing type II diabetes among middle school students through the nation's most extensive school-based health and physical activity intervention \u2013 The Healthy Study. In addition to her professional achievements, Dr. Blackshear is the proud mother of Akinyemi and Afi Blackshear, who share her passion for equity. Together, they have collaborated as co-authors, contributing to the discourse on intersectional racial equity in schooling, reflecting a family commitment to advocacy and transformative change.  Recently, you might have spotted her in a BLinG-Health t-shirt, proudly promoting her newly established nonprofit organization. This initiative empowers Black girls to lead group fitness activities, encourage physical activity, and explore careers in health and physical activity\u2014where representation is critically lacking. As the Founder and CEO, she is committed to making a meaningful impact in these areas. Her research has gained national and international recognition, driving institutional change, policy reform, and best equity practices. Dr. Blackshear's advocacy work has influenced global media and led to collaborations with organizations striving to create culturally responsive, equitable environments. Through her candid and impactful approach, she has successfully transformed performative institutional gestures into tangible outcomes, ensuring accountability and meaningful progress in the pursuit of equity. For more information about BLinG-Health, please visit: https:\/\/bling-health.org\/ . If you enjoy this podcast, please click "subscribe" wherever you listen to episodes and we hope you'll consider leaving us a review. Follow us on Facebook https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UKAGHW, Instagram https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/ukaghw, or LinkedIn https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/active-girls-healthy-women. Sign up for the Active Girls Healthy Women newsletter here: http:\/\/eepurl.com\/h6e30b or learn more about our Program here: https:\/\/linktr.ee\/ukaghw. If you want to help us sustain the Champions of Active Women podcast, please consider donating to the University of Kentucky Active Girls Healthy Women Program at https:\/\/give.uky.edu\/campaigns\/47165\/donations\/new?aft=87003cbf2438ea9d126a47dbe0395353 ","author_name":"Champions of Active Women","author_url":"https:\/\/www.uky.edu\/chs\/aghw","html":"