Arlington families gathered at Mount Olive Baptist Church last weekend for a free health and wellness expo organized by the 100 Black Men of Greater Dallas/Fort Worth and Texas Health Resources. More than 20 vendors provided a range of medical services, from flu and COVID‑19 vaccinations to early‑detection prostate screenings, blood‑pressure checks and mammograms.
Community‑focused health initiative
Founded in 1963, 100 Black Men of America is a national nonprofit dedicated to mentoring, education, economic empowerment, leadership development and health and wellness for Black communities. The Dallas/Fort Worth chapter’s annual expo demonstrates its health‑focused pillar, aiming to reduce disparities that affect African‑American residents.
“We believe in mentoring across a lifetime and that’s what this is all about,” said Anthony Sampson, co‑founder of the local chapter. “If our young people get this information early, it will carry on through their entire life.”
Free services and educational seminars
In addition to the medical screenings, the event featured educational seminars on mental health and healthy lifestyle habits. A 1K and 5K run kicked off the day, encouraging participants to adopt regular exercise as part of a holistic approach to wellness.
“Our focus is in the African American community because there’s a lot of disparities in health services being offered to us,” said Larry Allen Sr., president of the Dallas/Fort Worth chapter. “The way we get it, the type of care that we get — it’s very important for us to do this for our community.”
Prostate cancer awareness
Prostate screenings were a highlight of the expo. Black men face the highest prostate‑cancer death rate among ethnic groups and are twice as likely to die from the disease as white men, according to the American Cancer Society. While deaths have fallen 56 % since their 1993 peak, one in six Black men remain at risk during their lifetime.
Lizzy Townsend, outreach coordinator for the Prostate Conditions Education Council, guided attendees through the early‑detection process. Townsend, whose grandfather died of prostate cancer, emphasized the importance of simple blood tests to establish baseline numbers.
“Unfortunately, many healthcare providers do not provide prostate cancer testing unless you actually ask for it,” Townsend said. “We can just provide a simple blood test to get those baseline numbers so you can navigate and protect yourself and live a long, healthy life.”
Looking ahead
The Dallas/Fort Worth chapter plans additional community events, including a financial‑literacy course and a monthly Saturday leadership‑development program. Next June, the national nonprofit will host its 41st Annual Conference, featuring professional‑development classes, health screenings, youth‑mentoring seminars and business‑contracting summits.
Allen reflected on his own upbringing and the mission that drives the organization: “I grew up on a farm in the country with very limited services. One of the things I said to myself is, if I made it out, to go back and bring more people along, teach them, expose them to more in life, and give them a better quality of life.”
The free expo underscores how faith‑based venues, nonprofit partnerships and local health systems can collaborate to bring essential services directly to neighborhoods that need them most.
Original reporting: Fort Worth Report — read the source article.
