Brother, Brother, Brother, there’re far too many of us dying!

Those prophetic words, spoken by the late, great Marvin Gaye in the early seventies, are truer than ever, today. African American men are dying earlier, and in greater number than any other ethnic group in America. Economic circumstances, environmental conditions and lifestyle choices have combined to create the perfect storm for a host of health disparities that diminish our prospects and endanger our future. As we celebrate the historic victory of President Barack Obama, we must remind ourselves that if current conditions prevail, we will continue to lose thousands of Baracks to a host of preventable medical maladies.

The 2009 African American Men's Health and Empowerment Summit is the first of its kind in Los Angeles and will explore the barriers to achieving better health outcomes. African America men have the lowest life expectancy of any group in the United States primarily because of untreated or inadequately treated preventable diseases. Lets take a closer look:

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE:
Cardiovascular disease, mainly heart disease and stroke, disproportionately affect African America men and low income populations. Black men have the highest death rate due to cardiovascular disease.
 
DIABETES:
Risk factors for diabetes include obesity and family history. Obesity rate for African American and Latino populations are higher than in the general population increasing the risk of diabetes. Diabetes is among the top ten causes of death of Black men.
 
CANCER:
African American men have higher incidence and death rates from lung, colorectal, pancreatic, esophageal, stomach and prostate cancer than other groups of men.
 
HIV:
HIV and AIDS disproportionately affect men of color. AIDS is the second leading cause of death for African American men between the ages of 25-44. Recent data have demonstrated the alarming rates o HIV infection among African American men who have sex with men.
 
SMOKING:
Smoking and other addictive substances exacerbate chronic health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure. The African American community has been victimized by aggressive marketing strategies by the tobacco industry which has resulted in higher rates of lung, oral and esophageal cancer particularly in African American men.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

African American men
The general public
Social and health care professionals
Academics
Legislators / Policy Makers
 
SUMMIT AIMS:

The African American Men's Health and Empowerment Summit will provide participants with an understanding of:

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  Barriers to accessing health services and how to navigate around them.
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  Risk factors for the development of chronic diseases and how the prevent them.
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  The relationship between education and health outcomes.
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  The relationship between economic development and health outcomes.