Fulfilling a social justice agenda through community partnered provision of service and advocacy

The Men's Center was established 15 years ago to meet the needs of marginalized men who were underemployed or unemployed and uninsured men residents of east Baltimore utilizing a holistic approach. The mission of the center has expanded over that time period to include holistic provision of services for men and their families. The services include life skills workshops, parenting education, men's support groups, expungement workshops, health education workshops, basic health screenings (i.e., blood pressure, diabetes, HIV testing) and health monitoring support (i.e., diabetes education, smoking cessation support, etc.) Over its 15 year history, the center has established itself as both a service agency and a force for social action. It has been able to sustain its mission of advocacy and service for marginalized low income men and their families through donations of time and money and leveraging resources through partnerships. This presentation will describe how the Men's Center has utilized partnerships with academic institutions (1) to expand its capacity to serve a marginalized African American population in east Baltimore; (2) to engage in practical research to support social justice action agenda as well as to improve the work of the center and (3) to influence the training of students who may later be community leaders and advocates of social change. Highlighted will be the centers' current partnership with a federally qualified health center, and an HBCU to improve health access and utilization of African American men in east Baltimore.