Percell Dugger

Percell Dugger knows firsthand how powerfully transformative it is to have a healthy connection between mind and body. A highlight of his childhood was running around and climbing trees in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he was born and raised. When he struggled with depression and unemployment after a near-fatal car accident, exercise was a therapeutic outlet that inspired him to start a career in fitness. Inspired by the Audre Lorde quote, "Caring for self is an act of political warfare," he's on a mission to end Black health inequality. Dugger told Authority Magazine, "My goal with fitness was being able to provide healthy solutions for people in my community. That quote resonates with me so much because of the glaring health inequalities and disparities that exist for Black people in America." When he isn't training celebrities like NBA players or Winston Duke (Black Panther, Us), Dugger meets people where they are with affordable community-based fitness programs through GOODWRK. When 2020 put a spotlight on economic, racial, and health disparities in the U.S., Dugger turned a group chat with frustrated fellow Black wellness and fitness professionals into a collective to tackle systemic health inequality: FitForUs.Their team wrote an open letter to the fitness industry in Self Magazine to addressing everything from client microaggressions to the hypocritical statements of racial solidarity from fitness companies with racist policies and practices. FitForUs partnered with Color of Change to launch The Sanity Plan, a self-care program with resources to counter the stress of the pandemic. They tackle systemic issues like food insecurity while meeting urgent needs with a therapy relief fund for Black women without mental health resources.