September 5, 2022 – Syracuse, NY – Early this fall, 100 Black Men of Syracuse will assemble a show of force to promote its message of physical fitness, healthy living practices and preventive medical care while celebrating the enduring legacy left by one of the city’s most notable medical figures. The 13th edition of the annual Winston Gaskin Community Walk for Health & Wellness, reinforced by nearly 20 allied community groups, will be held Sept. 24 and for the first time begin at Kirk Park on Syracuse’s South Side and extend along a nearby section of Onondage Creekwalk.
“The neighborhood that surrounds the park and the Creekwalk is symbolic of the disparities, including shorter lifespans and poorer health outcomes, that persist for so many living there,” said 100 Black Men President Drake Harrison. “We need to pool our resources and efforts if we are to make a real difference in dramatically changing that reality.”
Harrison cited figures released in 2021 by the National Center for Health Statistics that found life expectancy 4.1 years lower than the national average in majority black neighborhoods like the one where the Winston Gaskin Walk will be held.
“The issue is so serious,” said Charles Anderson, who chairs the 100 Black Men’s Health and Wellness Committee, “that we sought out our friends in the community to help us educate the public and provide health screenings in an expanded format and family friendly environment at Kirk Park that will feature games and other youth-oriented activities following the 3.2-mile walk.”
The event, which begins at 9 a.m. and concludes at 2 p.m., honors Winston Gaskin, an African-American Syracuse resident, pharmacist, Army veteran and community leader who passed away in 2009. In 1987, he was honored as a pioneer in the black community by Syracuse’s Black Leadership Congress. The Congress said he became the first black druggist in the city when he opened a pharmacy on South Avenue in 1964. In 2021, Housing Visions, a non-profit organization he co-founded, opened Winston Gaskin Homes, a 66-unit affordable housing development.
For more information about this event, visit the 100 Black Men of Syracuse website at 100blackmensyr.org.
Listed as Community Partners for the 2022 Winston Gaskin Community Walk for Health & Wellness:
| • 10 Less Inc. Civic Youth Society | • Syracuse Community Health |
| • ACR Health | • Syracuse Inner-City Rotary |
| • American Heart Association – New York State/Loving Myself, Loving My Sisters Coalition | • Syracuse Police Athletic/Activities League (PAL) |
| • OGs Against Violence | • Syracuse Police Department |
| • Onondaga County Department of Emergency Communications, 911 | • University United Methodist Church |
| • PGR Foundation, Inc. | • Upstate Medical University Mammography Program |
| • Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. (Syracuse Chapter) | • Upstate Medical University She Matters/We Matter/U Matter programs |
| • Restoreforlife, Inc. | • YMCA of CNY |
| • Symphoria | • Zeta Phi Beta Sorority (Syracuse Chapter) |
