Every June, Men’s Health Month serves as a reminder of the critical need to address preventable health conditions and encourage early detection and treatment. For black men in Mississippi, this awareness month underscores a pressing reality: real, sustained action is long overdue. These men carry a disproportionate burden of serious health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, prostate cancer, and HIV, all of which affect them at significantly higher rates.
The root cause of these disparities is not random but the result of decades of systemic neglect, inadequate access to healthcare, and a public health infrastructure that has rarely centered the specific needs of black men. Despite these challenges, the policy landscape in Mississippi offers very little designed with black men in mind. This gap in policy reflects a broader historical pattern, as black women have also faced racial inequities in healthcare. Through collaboration, policy advocacy, and listening to impacted communities, incremental progress has been made for black women. Now, it is time to apply that same model to the health of black men in Mississippi.
The urgent need for a comprehensive black men’s health agenda
A comprehensive policy agenda for black men’s health in Mississippi must address several key areas. First, there is a critical need for access to affordable, culturally competent primary care and preventive services. mental health support that is destigmatized and meets black men where they are is equally important. Targeted HIV prevention, testing, and treatment resources, along with prostate cancer screening and education, are essential components. Additionally, policies must address the social determinants of health—economic insecurity, housing instability, and exposure to environmental hazards—that shape health outcomes long before a man walks into a clinic.
The role of community engagement and listening
Building a comprehensive policy agenda takes time, intention, and, above all, listening. The Mississippi Center for Justice’s Health Justice Campaign is working to document the lived experiences of Mississippians accessing healthcare. The campaign invites black men in Mississippi, as well as those who love, work alongside, or care about them, to share their stories. What are the barriers to good health? What policies are needed? Any good public health policy begins with listening, breaking down stigma, and creating space for honest conversation. It begins with trusting that the people most affected by a problem are also closest to its solutions.
The broader context of health disparities among black men
The life expectancy of the average man is five to seven years shorter than that of the average woman, largely because men are less likely to seek routine healthcare than women. For black men, this gap is even more pronounced due to a lack of health knowledge and stigmas that discourage them from taking action on all aspects of their health. Cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer, diabetes, and HIV/AIDS continue to disproportionately burden African-American men. Early detection and routine treatment can lessen the harmful effects of these diseases.
Data from the American Heart Association shows that about 62 percent of black men live with high blood pressure. The American Cancer Society reports that black men are nearly 73 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer and over twice as likely to die from it compared to white men. Black men also face significantly higher rates of type 2 diabetes, which increases the risk of kidney disease and vision complications. They remain disproportionately affected by new HIV diagnoses and have the highest lifetime prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) of any racial group in the U.S.
Mental health is another critical area of concern. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that suicide is the third leading cause of death for black men ages 15 to 24. Despite this, black men are 36 percent less likely than the S. population to receive mental health treatment. Neglected mental health can turn into a stressful disorder that affects everyday life, growing until it can no longer be ignored. Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners play a unique role in addressing these issues, and representation for black men in the healthcare field remains important.
The importance of routine HIV testing
Routine HIV testing is a critical means of maintaining one’s The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that individuals ages 13 to 64 get tested at least once, with annual screenings for those at higher risk. For black men in America, who face higher risks of infection and systemic barriers to care, knowing their HIV status is the first step toward accessing resources like PrEP (a medication that prevents the contraction of HIV) and prompt treatment.
On June 27, National HIV Testing Day 2026 will encourage Americans to focus on self-compassion and respect and to take charge of their sexual health as an important part of self-care under the theme, “Level Up Your Self-Love: Check Your Status.” Locally, in the Greater Washington area, Us Helping Us People Into Living, Inc. (UHU) will hold free, confidential rapid HIV and STI testing at two participating Walgreens locations in Maryland on June 27. UHU, established in 1985 with a group of volunteers, has two locations in the D.C. area that provide a mental health clinic among other services.
Black men weigh in on the benefits of getting tested regularly for HIV. Harvey Sears, 57, who lives in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., learned that he was HIV-positive in 2002 after first contracting shingles. The diagnosis prompted him down a healthier path. “After my doctor gave me the medicine I needed and I began to heal, I was advised to get tested for HIV because shingles is often an alert that you’re HIV-positive,” Sears said. “No one should want to pass the virus on to others, so getting tested is essential.”
Like Sears, Jerry White, 63, who lives in Bronx, N.Y., tested positive for HIV in 1997. He said he’s learned a lot about maintaining a better health regimen and is a staunch advocate for practicing safe sex. “Getting tested regularly is important because if you are positive, you can expect your body to change as the virus replicates,” White said. “Unfortunately, with the new medications like PrEP, people have become more complacent. As for the younger generation, they don’t understand the seriousness of this disease. They weren’t around when people with HIV/AIDS were dying in record numbers with no hope of surviving the virus.”
As the coordinator for the Atlanta North Conference Sons of Allen, the official men’s fellowship and ministry of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, Cyril Mayes said he’s surprised that he has heard nothing about National HIV Testing Day throughout the Atlanta region. “Until speaking with the AFRO, I had no idea that Saturday, June 27, was the annual day of testing for HIV in the U.S.,” said Mayes, 66, who lives in Stone Mountain, Ga., and attends Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta.
