By Brian Goodin
It was labeled “Brother to Brother, Friend to Friend, Men to Men, Part 2” because the first time around, a couple of months ago, it was a very healthy success says Harold Allen Jr., former Lincoln High School standout who just happens to be the older sibling of Marcus and Damon Allen. Marcus and Damon Allen are two Hall of Fame football stars, one from the National Football League NFL and the other from the Canadian Football League CFL, respectively. Harold suffered a stroke a year ago last month. As most of us know, a stroke, no matter to what degree, can be devastating and debilitating to the victim as well as to loved ones. Being the remarkable and resourceful person that he is, Harold not only put all his efforts into overcoming this setback of life-changing proportion, but along the way he wanted to help others avoid the stroke-related health circumstances he is having to overcome.
On Saturday, December 10th at New Paradise Baptist Church 420 68th Street in San Diego, Harold put his efforts into actuality by bringing together a comm”UNITY” of Black men to the tune of 50 or more with the gracious help of Pastor James Moore who opened the door to his church for a much-needed discussion on men’s health. More specifically, African American men’s health. Statistics by and large show Black men live seven years less than men of other racial groups. Many factors contribute to these causes that are very preventable through education and awareness – which was the primary focus of the gathering, providing words and instruction from men who have lived experience on the do’s and don’ts of healthy living.
In the space of a two-hour forum, the first to address the health-conscious audience was Sam Norris on the importance of proper eating habits for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A well-balanced diet is essential to achieving excellent health. Eric Overstreet spoke about hydration, particularly paying attention to the coloration of one’s urine as one of the first signs of dehydration. Dehydration is something that seems to be more common among Black men in a world of beer and wine. James Shelby gave voice to the spirituality of a healthy man and what it means to be thirsty for the right things in life. Anthony Fields led a conversation on juicing and being alert to the dangers of sugar intake, one of the leading sources of diabetes among Black men. The reverend Ray Smith, who also suffered a stroke in the last two years, showed his resilience by witnessing his journey back from a dreaded situation that he is clearly triumphantly overcoming. He impressed upon the health-goers the benefits of vitamin supplements and reiterated the necessity for a good diet.
A very unexpected, pleasant surprise of this uplifting gathering came at the end of the health fair when a question-and-answer session took place with some very distinguished members of the Southeast community. Front and center were three generations of Lincoln High School athletic greats: Jerry Powell, Class of “68”; Walley Henry, Class of “73”; and Damon Allen, Class of “81”. Two other Lincoln legends were charged with asking the questions. They were none other than Harold Moore, Class “64” and a one-time beloved counselor at Lincoln, and Harold Steele, Class of “72”, an amazing athlete and all-around guy.
