Black Faith & HIV Initiative to host Triad’s First Black Men’s Wellness Expo

Wake Forest University’s Black Faith and HIV initiative (BFH) is set to host the Triad’s very first Black Men’s Wellness Expo titled “Protect Your Energy” on June 10th, 2023 to kick off National Men’s Health Week! The free event is open to the public and will be held at Winston-Salem State University. It will feature a distinguished panel discussion along with food, music, and healing modalities such as acupuncture, yoga, and tarot reading.

Members of the planning committee hope that this event will be a catalyst for more discussion about health and wholeness for Black men. Marcus Hawley, Educational Program Manager of BFH, says “Protect Your Energy is an event for Black men’s spiritual, mental and physical wellness. Conversations and activations throughout the day will expose these men to a plethora of healing practices and resources that can help lead to our individual and communal wholeness. Black man, this is a safe space for you!”. The event will also be an opportunity to continue raising awareness about HIV stigma among Black people and people of faith in order to forge better avenues toward health equity. The Black Faith and HIV initiative is a national effort to combat HIV stigma and is led by the Faith Coordinating Center at Wake Forest University School of Divinity. 

One of the key elements of the event will be the panel discussion which is set to include the voices of Cedric Sanders (actor), Kristian A. Smith (cultural curator), Dr. Brian Shackleford (physician), Rev. Daran Mitchell (pastor), and Dr. Nic Williams (therapist). Together they will explore topics of mental health, physical wellness, and spirituality in relation to the identity and well-being of black men. 

Those wishing to attend the expo may register for free at bit.ly/Energy2023

To learn more about the Black Faith & HIV initiative, visit blackfaith.org