By Elijah Qualls
AFRO Intern
Kelli Redmond’s wellness business, Mova Nature, emerged during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and has only grown since. Not only does Redmond sell healthy blends and beverages, she also provides insightful guidance on how to improve lives by promoting healthy diets. With chronic and acute illnesses plaguing African Americans, Redmond is now fighting to enlighten the community one blend at a time.
“People may not always be able to purchase the product, but information stays with you,” Redmond said in an interview with the AFRO. “As long as you have that information to resort back to, you can begin to make your own decisions about the pattern that you want to shift in your life. Wellness is here to empower you.”
Mova Nature has been in the Baltimore area for the past five years. In that time, Redmond’s business has appeared at the Artscape festival, the State of the People National Assembly and at the Middle Branch Fitness and Wellness Center.
“What we’re seeing in Baltimore is a renaissance,” Redmond said. “We’re getting newer markets [in] neighborhoods that were food deserts for decades. We’re getting fresh fruit stands. We’re getting events and the festivals that are free where people can come get healthy options. It’s important to recognize that there is growth happening within Baltimore City, and there’s still a lot more work to do.”
Dr. Vonnya Pettigrew is the founder and CEO of Branch Media Group and is a collaborative partner with Mova Nature. Pettigrew was influential in facilitating Redmond’s presence at the State of the People National Assembly, a gathering of grassroots activists and changemakers from across the country that culminated in Baltimore in June.
Pettigrew explained to the AFRO why Mova Nature’s attendance was so powerful: “When we’re talking about Black liberation, controlling our narrative and controlling the way we care and love ourselves, nutrition is at the core of that. For Mova Nature’s brand to be a part of that movement, it meant something that was valuable.”
Redmond’s work ethic, tenacity and personability have played a major role in encouraging people to support her mission.
The AFRO spoke with one of Mova Nature’s customers, James Tyner. Having patronized the company for roughly a year, Tyner was able to detail how their efforts have impacted his family and the broader Black community.
“Most of the time, unfortunately, in the inner city and Black communities where there’s a food desert there’s also lack of education about health in the schools and the resources are scarce,” Tyner said. “What they (Mova Nature) are able to do is go into these communities and provide nutrition that’s not available. Not only are they providing nutrition that’s not available to the community, they’re also educating.”
The efforts from Mova Nature have been intentionally applied by Redmond, who works diligently to change the health statistics seen in the Black community.
“African Americans are leading the rates in chronic illnesses, especially in Baltimore. We’re looking at high blood pressures, diabetes, increased colon cancer diagnoses and that is a result of being in the demographic that we are in,” said Redmond. “There is space– not just in Baltimore City, but in a lot of different predominantly Black areas– where we can do a lot better with access to fresh foods.”