Dr. Joseph Fowler Jr. and Brandon K. Williams are on a mission to empower the Black community when it comes to overall health. As the founders of Aligned 4 Life Wellness, Fowler and Williams seek to educate while also providing opportunities.
They are inspiring the next generation of Black chiropractors by giving out scholarships to Black students through their not-for-profit foundation.
Less than 2.5% of chiropractors in the U.S.A. are Black, so Fowler and Williams want to dispel various myths and assumptions that some people have about chiropractors.
Fowler and Williams spoke with ADW about Aligned 4 Life Wellness and giving back to the community.
How did you two initially come together to create Aligned 4 Life Wellness?
We initially met in grad school at Life University and we hit off when we realized that we both share the same moral values and beliefs along with a passion for wanting to serve the Black community. So we decided to open our chiropractic practice together.
How did Harvey Willard help with the establishing of the first chiropractic practice?
Harvey Willard was an African-American janitor who was the first patient to be treated with chiropractic techniques in the country. He had become almost deaf for nearly 17 years after being bent over in a cramped, stooping position and he all the sudden heard something pop in his spine and he immediately lost most of his hearing. He shared those details with Dr. David Daniel Palmer who is regarded as the founder of chiropractic. Dr. Palmer offered to take a look at Lillard’s spine and he found a lump between his shoulders. Dr. Palmer then persuaded Lillard to let him rack his bone back into position. After a few days Lillard said that his hearing was better and almost completely restored.
What role did Dr. Fred Rubel play in inspiring other Black doctors?
In 1913 Dr. Fred Rubel graduated from the National School of Chiropractic and became the first certified black chiropractor in the country. In 1914 he founded the Rubel College of Chiropractic. This was not only the first school in the field to freely accept anyone regardless of race, but it was also one of the first degree-granting institutions to do so.
Why are there less than 2.5 percent Black chiropractors in America and what can be done to change it?
There are several contributing factors but probably none more impactful than the fact that young Black children don’t see a Black chiropractor on regular basis in the communities, it’s hard for them to aspire to become something they’ve never seen. We are working hard to change that by raising our profile in the community, in the media and at inner city schools.
How have you helped by giving scholarships?
Our not-for-profit foundation awards scholarships to Black students who are interested in pursuing a chiropractic degree and career. We do this in an effort to raise the percentage of Black chiropractors in the country.
What have you learned most about yourselves since opening this practice?
What we’ve learned is what we’ve always known. When you are obedient to what God has called you you to do he will always make a way for you and cover you. We intentionally opened our practice in an underserved and often overlooked community because we wanted to provide state-of-the-art treatments that people are accustomed to in Buckhead to our own people.
