The objective of the Annual African-American Male Wellness Walk is to bring awareness to the fact that Africa-American men are dying at an alarming rate from many conditions that are preventable.

The Walk began in 2004 when approximately 300 African-American men came together to encourage Black men to begin to take charge of their health, destiny and well-being through awareness and prevention. We have now grown to over 4,000 participants.

Many people are not aware of the shocking health disparities affecting African-American Males. Below are just a few statistics that offer a sobering view of the African-American Men’s health crisis.

• African American Men live 7.5 years less than other ethnic groups
• 40% of African American Men die prematurely from cardiovascular disease as compared to 22% of Caucasian Men
• African American Men are 5 times more likely to die of HIV/AIDS
• African American Men are 4 times as likely to suffer from kidney failure
• African American Males have higher incidence of prostate cancer
• African American Men have higher incidence of diabetes

These are not merely statistics. These are men who are husbands, fathers, grandfathers, brothers, sons, grandsons, nephews, cousins, neighbors and our co-workers. They have names, faces and families attached to them. They represent our history, our present and our future and they are dying needlessly.

The immediate objectives of The Walk are-

• To increase the number of African American Men who visit the physician
• To create health and wellness awareness within the African-American community
• To heighten the awareness of the benefits of regular physical exercise and diet for men

Each year we offer free health care screenings and healthy lifestyle information during The Walk, however, our ultimate objective is to expand The Walk nationally with the vision of establishing a Men’s Health Clinic whose goal is to make these conditions become “issues of the past.”

“The walk saved my life. After getting my results I immediately went in to see a doctor for the first time in 15 years” M.Douglas

“I always knew I needed to get my blood pressure checked but the health walk made it easier and safer for me to do” L.Grays

“The African American Male Wellness Walk allows people like me to get tested when I normally would not” M.Snyder

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