Celebrating 5 Years of Healthy Eating and Wellness
Atlanta’s first Black woman-owned health market and juice bar, Wadada Healthy Market and Juice Bar, is commemorating an incredible milestone – 5 years of serving the West End community.
The anniversary celebration on April 6th had an array of festivities, including all-day giveaways, a new menu launch, tantalizing tastings, and discounts for purchases over $20.
At 2 p.m., a unity ceremony took center stage, symbolizing the brand’s unwavering commitment to fostering a healthier, more unified community through nutritious offerings.
This momentous occasion not only honors Wadada’s journey but also reaffirms its dedication to promoting wellness in Atlanta’s underserved neighborhoods.
A Personal Mission to Heal the Black Community
The inspiration behind Wadada stemmed from founder Jeanette Sellers’ (also known as Sister Nilajah Ma’at) personal experience witnessing her family members succumb to illnesses like heart disease and cancer.
This profound loss ignited her passion for embracing a plant-based lifestyle and exploring the Rastafari movement’s emphasis on fresh, organic, and homegrown produce.
“Wadada is here to hopefully encourage our community to simplify their diet and make healthier choices,” Sellers said.
Through this transformative journey, Sellers gained invaluable knowledge about combining foods to enhance healing, ultimately shaping Wadada’s mission to address the health crisis plaguing the Black community.
Bridging the Gap in Food Access Disparities
According to a 2023 report by Emory University’s Rollin School of Public Health, while 75% of Atlanta’s residents lived within a half-mile of fresh produce in 2020 (up from 52% in 2015), progress was primarily seen in neighborhoods with higher proportions of white residents.
Wadada is working tirelessly to bridge this gap, ensuring access to nutritious options in underserved areas.
A Holistic Approach to Wellness
Every shelf and wall at Wadada is intentionally lined with herbs, tonics, cold-pressed juices, and vegan meals, incorporating organic fruits, vegetables, and superfoods like ginger, sea moss, and adaptogens.
These meticulously crafted offerings aim to address prevalent issues within the Black community, such as stress, heart disease, digestion, brain fog, cognition, immunity, and circulation.
From a wife seeking natural sleep aids for her truck-driving husband to a daughter utilizing Wadada’s products to support her mother’s colon cancer treatment, the testimonies underscore the positive impact Wadada has had on the community.
Fostering Cooperative Economics and Empowerment
Not only has Wadada provided a haven for healthy eating, but it has also empowered other local Black-owned businesses by carrying their products and hosting food trucks and pop-ups throughout the week.
Sellers emphasizes the interconnectedness of health and wealth, stating, “Our health and our wealth — those two things come together.”
In the next five years, Sellers envisions expanding Wadada’s footprint by opening five additional locations in the Atlanta area and relocating the flagship store to a larger space. Her ultimate goal? To promote wellness as a divine right, ensuring every member of the community experiences the abundance and health that nature intended.
“Wellness is our birthright, and we just want to make sure that every member of our community experiences health and wellness as a kind of right of how nature intended it.”
