ATLANTA – There is a national movement working to reverse a very worrying trend.

According to the nonprofit GirlTREK, black women are living 10 years less than the generation before them. The organization is now taking new steps to extend life.

“Black women are dying at a higher and faster rate than any other group in the country from preventable diseases,” said co-organizer Vanessa Garrison.

Near a hidden trail in Chamblee, women from across the country gathered with one mission in mind: to encourage black women to improve their lives.

Friends T. Morgan Dixon and Garrison started GirlTREK in 2010.

“We had a vision that we could inspire a million Black women to inspire their daughters and reclaim the assets of their neighborhoods through walking,” Garrison said.

And they did. Since the group’s inception, GirlTrek says its membership has exploded to 1.3 million participants worldwide.

Dixon and Garrison say they want to reach 10 percent of the country’s total population of black women so they can tackle the issues that plague them the most.

“Inactivity – we don’t move enough. Isolation – we feel alone. Injustice – the systems don’t support us enough to live longer,” Garrison said.

It’s a journey to turn the tide, one step at a time.

The group is now launching its Joy and Justice campaign and using the epicenter of a pivotal movement in civil rights history at headquarters for its mission.

“Last year we purchased Dr. King’s office in Montgomery, Alabama. It was the headquarters of the Montgomery bus boycott. We are going to use it as a base to launch a health campaign and canvass door-to-door to make sure our neighbors are OK,” Dixon said.

It’s a legacy they hope to pass on to generations to come.

GirlTREK is hosting several events in Atlanta and across the country, including one on Saturday.

You can learn more about the organization’s website.