Aetna’s 35th Annual African American History Calendar Celebrates People Inspiring Lives Through Food

— Thirteen community leaders from around the country featured —

HARTFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–African Americans have a long history of tradition and influence on the
collective food culture in the United States. However, the influences
extend beyond recipes and food and into building healthier communities,
as demonstrated in Aetna’s 2016 African American Calendar titled, “The
Flavors of Community: African Americans Inspiring Lives Through Food.”

For 35 years, Aetna (NYSE: AET)
has produced the African-American Calendar as an annual tribute to the
extraordinary and educational endeavors of African Americans throughout
the country.

“African American heritage cooking is part of a larger continuum, which
includes the individuals and foods of Africa, the Caribbean, Latin
America, and a variety of points in the Western and Eastern World,” said
Dr. Jessica B. Harris, award-winning journalist, lecturer, professor and
African Diaspora food expert. In the calendar introduction, Dr. Harris
goes on to explain, “These food cultures have long shaped the traditions
and values of cooking in America – and this history is reflected in the
innovation that we see in African American food today.”

Aetna CEO and Chairman Mark T. Bertolini said, “Food unites us in many
ways. These extraordinary chefs, activists and food experts are using
their passion and knowledge of the culinary arts to change perceptions
of healthy eating, which creates healthier lives, healthier communities
and a healthier world.”

The chefs, activists and food experts featured in the 2016 calendar are
using food as a way to create and inspire healthy communities. For
example, Alex Askew, president of BCAGlobal, (formerly Black Culinary
Alliance) in New York City, is using his Kellogg Foundation Fellowship
in Leadership and Racial Equity Healing to help young people to
understand food traditions and to get excited about healthy eating.
Rodney Taylor, Director of Food and Nutrition Services of the Fairfax
County Public Schools in Virginia, started the first farm-to-school
program in the country as a way to change the viewpoints on school food.

“Aetna is proud to mark the 35th year of the African American
History Calendar,” said Floyd W. Green III, Aetna’s vice president of
Community Relations and Urban Marketing. “This calendar is a way for us
to celebrate and showcase the many accomplishments of African American
leaders across the country.”

Other leaders profiled in the 2016 calendar are:

Tia Berry, manager of the American Heart Association’s Simple Cooking
with Heart® Kitchen in Baltimore, Maryland that provides heart-healthy
cooking classes to the community;

Toni Tipton-Martin, a food and nutrition journalist, author and activist
has a foundation in Austin, Texas, that brings families together for
local food and healthy activities;

Matthew Raiford, a farmer and chef in Brunswick, Georgia, hosts
community-cooking classes at his restaurant, The Farmer & The Larder;

Leah Chase, has spent the last 70 years in the kitchen of her New
Orleans restaurant, creating healthy and flavorful creole cuisine;

Chef James Robinson, founder of Kitchen Cray, a catering and event
company in New York City, has developed community initiatives such as a
culinary arts program for children;

Elle Simone Scott, from Brooklyn, NY, created SheChef, a mentoring
program that helps young women in New York City, Detroit, Atlanta,
Dallas and Houston learn more about getting involved with culinary arts;

Haile Thomas, a fifteen-year-old health advocate, created The HAPPY
Organization, Inc., which provides healthful programs to youth in
Tucson, Arizona.

Bryant Terry, a chef, author and educator in Oakland, California, uses
cultural and artistic influences to in the food justice movement, which
aims to give everyone access to healthy and affordable food;

Kashia Cave, a chef in Meriden, Conn., founded My City Kitchen, Inc., a
community program that teach kids how to plan menus, grocery shop and
cook a healthy meals; and

Maxcel Hardy III, created the One Chef Can 86 Hunger Foundation, to
educate families in Miami, FL and New York City about how to access
healthy and affordable food.

The 2016 calendar is available for $4 by calling 860-273-0509. The
online version of the calendar is available at the following website: http://www.aetnaafricanamericancalendar.com/2016/

About Aetna

Aetna is one of the nation’s leading diversified health care benefits
companies, serving an estimated 46.5 million people with information and
resources to help them make better informed decisions about their health
care. Aetna offers a broad range of traditional, voluntary and
consumer-directed health insurance products and related services,
including medical, pharmacy, dental, behavioral health, group life and
disability plans, and medical management capabilities, Medicaid health
care management services, workers’ compensation administrative services
and health information technology products and services. Aetna’s
customers include employer groups, individuals, college students,
part-time and hourly workers, health plans, health care providers,
governmental units, government-sponsored plans, labor groups and
expatriates. For more information, see www.aetna.com
and learn
about how Aetna is helping to build a healthier world
. @AetnaNews

Contacts

Media Contact:
Aetna
Anjie Coplin, 214-200-8056
coplina@aetna.com

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