-- from PR Newswire.com:

A $2 million initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is bringing together five civil rights organizations with the prominence and strength to help reverse childhood obesity, especially in African-American and Latino communities where the epidemic continues to hit hardest.

Over the next 16 months, the groups will aim individually and collaboratively to advance the public advocacy and policy changes critical to creating healthier communities. The initiative recognizes the power of their work to solve systemic issues of racial and social injustice, which underlie many neighborhoods' limited access to affordable, nutritious food or safe places for children to be physically active.

The organizations include the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC); Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF); National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); National Council of La Raza (NCLR); and National Urban League (NUL).

"These national organizations are coming together to take a stand," said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the Foundation. "They will help ensure that all communities benefit from the policy and environmental changes we know are necessary to reverse childhood obesity. Their unity speaks volumes about their commitment."

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