Syracuse, NY – Early this fall, 100 Black Men of Syracuse will 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 14th edition of the annual Winston Gaskin Community Walk for Health & Wellness, bolstered by a group of local community organizations, will be held Oct. 7, returning for the second consecutive year to Kirk Park, 300 W. Borden Ave., and extending along a nearby section of the Onondaga Creekwalk.
“We’re back at Kirk Park to continue the progress we made last year in drawing attention to a number of health issues affecting the neighborhoods in the surrounding community and the city of Syracuse,” said 100 Black Men President Drake Harrison. “It’s also a great opportunity for anyone to experience the beauty of the Creekwalk and gather information about the resources available to help narrow health disparities in our community.”
“We also intend to bring a focus at this event on issues the 100 has been engaged in this year, such as lead poisoning and gun violence,” said Charles Anderson, who chairs the 100 Black Men’s Health and Wellness Committee. Like 2022, the family friendly event will feature games and other youth-oriented activities, as well as a pickleball demonstration.
The event, which begins at 9 a.m. and concludes at 1 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.
While the Winston Gaskin Community Walk is free and open to the public, 100 Black Men of Syracuse urges participants to pre-register at https://forms.office.com/r/yzcaKn1LZz.
For more information about this event, visit the 100 Black Men of Syracuse website at 100blackmensyr.org. The Winston Gaskin Walk is supported by our community partners: Housing Visions; OGs Against Violence; Onondaga County Department of Emergency Services; Onondaga County Health Department’s Cancer Services Program; Planned Parenthood; Restoreforlife, Inc.; Symphoria; Syracuse Community Health Center; and Upstate Medical University’s You Matter, She Matters, We Matter programs.
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