Chris Williams, founder and CEO of the Brooklyn nonprofit Heart, Body, and Soul, and Dr. Torian Easterling, senior vice president at One Brooklyn Health and former NYC health official, spoke with the Amsterdam News about Black men’s health and the importance of community collaboration.
AmNews: Talk about why there’s a need to talk about disparities in Black men’s health?
Dr. Torian Easterling: The reason why we see these disparities and inequities in our data is because we have an erosion of trust, built over time, from our healthcare institutions. We have seen a lack of resources that have been invested in communities that have experienced these inequities. And there has never been a time where we can say unequivocally that the data shows that everyone is really doing well [with their health].
We have always seen these disparities when you’re talking about Black populations versus other populations. What we’re really talking about is the ways in which structural racism and inequities have really impacted the health and well-being of Black people within this country. What are our actions? What are our strategies? Particularly, when we’re talking about Black men, we need to think about what are those resources that are available and that aren’t available? Then we also have to talk about how we restore that trust.
Christopher Williams: It’s extremely critical that we pay even closer attention because we’ve seen a lot of changes when it comes to the funding that’s available to organizations that are focused on communities of color.
We, the people that look like us, have to double down on efforts to make sure that we get the resources we need into our communities, that we empower the men in our communities to take action when it comes to their health so that there’s a trickle-down effect. If our men are healthier, they’re going to make sure everybody else is healthier.
AmNews: Could you talk about the Black Men’s Health Festival that took place in June?
Williams: Back in 2022, I launched this event, which was geared toward celebrating, supporting and uplifting Black men. I came up with the idea of putting all this information, everything into festival format, because I wanted something that was a lot less clinical in its approach and more celebratory.
Support and uplift men so that they had the feeling that they mattered, that they would feel more connected, feel more rooted, feel more invested in attending and being a part of this event. So we created a space where they would have access to yoga, breathwork, massage, acupuncture, free haircuts, lock retwists, panel discussions, tapping, and like a healing circle.
AmNews: Any final thoughts?
Williams: It’s really important that we now, more than ever, prioritize our health because the reality of it is, we’ve seen the results of not prioritizing our health. We’ve got issues with diabetes, heart disease, hypertension. We’re losing too many of our young men. Who’s taking care of the young children? So we really want to do everything in our power to seize the opportunity to take care of our health in our own communities.
I really want people to take into consideration the fact that they have the power to demand the kind of health care that they want. They do this by going to the doctor and getting a checkup and getting screened, that’s one thing, but they also do this by making sure that they take action in their communities with their local elected officials, making sure that they’re doing everything in their power to provide quality health care for them.
AmNews: Dr. Easterling, same thing
Dr. Easterling: We’ve got to marshal all of our resources. We need folks to be activated. The other thing that we’ve been talking about is just making sure that we’re all wrapping our arms around each other and giving them the tools to act. Be active and take care of yourself. Know your numbers. Make sure you have a primary care physician.
There is this myth and narrative that Black men do not want to take care of themselves. And I’m always trying to push back on that. We have to be our own advocates and push for truth in our community.
This story first appeared in the New York Amsterdam News. It has been edited and condensed for clarity.