Black Men’s Wellness Day does not fall on a single fixed date. Instead, the events are part of a multi-city tour that began in Texas in April and will end in California in November. Saturday, July 18, nonprofit African American Male Wellness Agency will be hosting Black Men’s Wellness Day events in Cincinnati and Detroit. Festivities include free health screenings, mental wellness resources, fitness activities, live entertainment, community building and powerful conversations about preventive health.

 

“As men, we are hardwired to take care of everyone else,” said Kenny Hampton, president of the African American Wellness Agency, in an interview with Cincinnati news station WLWT5. “Sometimes we forget that, if you don’t take care of yourself, you won’t be here to take care of anybody else.”

 

African American Male Wellness Agency is the health and wellness arm of the National Center for Urban Solutions, a multifaceted social enterprise that aids to meet the needs of untapped communities in the workforce, health and education. Black Men’s Wellness Day was established in Columbus, Ohio, in 2004 by the African American Male Wellness Agency to tackle health disparities in chronic and preventable diseases among Black men. Today, the event is held in 20 cities across the United States.

 

Black men are 70% more likely to die from preventable diseases than white men. Black people in the United States do not live as long as other racial and ethnic groups and are more likely to die early of avoidable causes. In 2023, Black men had a lower life expectancy (70.3 years) than the general population average (78.4 years), according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the same year, the CDC identified heart disease, cancer, unintentional injuries, stroke and diabetes as the five leading causes of death for Black people.

 

Cardiovascular or heart disease is the leading cause of death nationwide, according to the American Heart Association, but 63% of Black men have heart disease—including coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke or high blood pressure—compared with 48.9% of the population overall. Black men also have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. In 2025, Black men were over twice as likely as white men to die of prostate cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. In 2024, Black people were 24% more likely to have diabetes, and in 2022, they were 78% more likely to die of diabetes-related complications than the general population, as reported by the Office of Minority Health.

 

In 2025, the events were attended by more than 100,000 people across the nation and over 10,000 free health screenings for Black men were conducted, revealing some devastating results. Over 85% of people screened had high blood pressure, and more than 50% were unaware of the associated health risks. Black Men’s Wellness Day provides free health screening to Black communities, including prostate, kidney, blood pressure and mental health checks.

 

When asked about the message of Black Men’s Wellness Day, city coordinator James Robertson said: “Get checked out and not checked in.”

 

Upcoming events will take place in Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri and California. Gain control of your health by celebrating Black Men’s Wellness Day in a city near you.  

 

To learn more about health disparities by race, visit #racial disparities, where you will find stories such as: