Why Black Men Need to Speak Up About Their Health

Wadnes Castelly is making big waves within the media industry as a Client Solutions Partner at Spotify. We met and bonded over repping Haiti big during our internship program…

(shout out to the T. Howard Foundation!)

We met up on a very chilly winter day in midtown Manhattan. Wadnes was kind enough to travel from Jersey to the City to meet with me and chat a little bit about how he is taking control of his own health. It’s all about unpacking, relearning, and showing up to create your best self when talking with Wadnes.

This interview was recorded in December 2018 and was edited for clarity and length.

Isabelle: Where did you grow up?

Wadnes: I was born in Newark, New Jersey and raised in Irvington which is a small town outside of Newark, the largest city in New Jersey. Irvington is a community with a large Caribbean and immigrant population. I’ve been around Black Americans my whole life. It really wasn’t until I advanced through high school and started to venture out to other communities that I became exposed to other ethnicities and different cultures.

Isabelle: What does quality of health mean in the community that you grew up in?

Wadnes: When I think about health growing up in Irvington, the first thing that comes to mind is physical health. Growing up I was all in on sports and being active whether it was basketball, track & field, or football. I didn’t really learn about mental or sexual health until high school. Being raised in a Caribbean household….mental health is treated as a joke. They make fun of it. It’s like you’re either right in the head or you’re not. Haitians love to say “Ou pran vitamin ou?” which means “Did you take your vitamins?” Both of my parents are getting up in age and they are not the healthiest…high blood pressure and cholesterol things of that nature. Portion sizes are really important, something I’m always telling them about. You can’t eat a big bowl of rice all of the time. Quality of health is all about being smart about what you’re putting inside yourself.

Isabelle: What do you feel like quality of health as Black man means to you right now?

Wadnes: Quality of health first starts with understanding my goals and educating myself by filling any gaps that exist. So, as a Black man, it means asking myself “What are my goals?” For me, one of my goals involves hitting the gym to put on weight. What are the ideal foods I need to eat daily? Taking initiative to go food shopping.

It may not align with my schedule at times…but I have to do a better job at meal prepping. Because what do you do when you’re in a rush? You eat out.. Then, you go against the goals you set out for yourself. So, you have to stick to your goals and hold yourself accountable.

Isabelle: So, if you could sit in a forum with young Black men on the importance of health? What would you say?

Wadnes: In my younger years, I definitely did feel like I was invincible. My bones would never break. It wasn’t until college that I fractured my wrist playing basketball and that I realized I wasn’t invincible. You know, injuries are real. It ain’t no joke. I would always have discussions about physical health…because I was always active playing sports. But, when it comes to diet, what are the proper foods that we should be eating?

I think being well-versed in the different types of diets and figuring out what is the best for you. I’ve had friends, who stopped eating red meat and they started feeling better. Figure out what food groups you need to avoid. You need to be transparent about the foods that you eat. I remember watching The Boondocks and Huey saying “high fructose corn syrup will kill you” and it’s crazy how I read every food ingredient to avoid it as much as I can. I stay away from my sugary drinks. I try to drink as much water as possible. I think having open discussion about how to diet properly is essential. No one sat down with me to talk about the food groups. It was whatever my mom made I ate growing up.

Also, talking about the importance of going to the doctor regularly. I had a tendency to visit my doctor when I had a problem instead of having a routine. So I say create a routine where you are going to the doctor routinely. See your doctor before you have a problem. See a doctor before an issue becomes pivotal…whether it’s your sexual health or anything like that. Ask those tough and uncomfortable questions. Your health matters. Also, in being transparent, a lot of guys…we go through the same things for the most part. We all have situations that happen with our bodies and we just rely on Google to diagnose us so we need to stop that trend. We need to talk to somebody and not feel ashamed.

Isabelle: How do you define self-care now?

Wadnes: Since I graduated college, I’ve been so focused on my professional life that I’ve realized that sometimes I forget to eat sometimes because I’m just so in the midst of what I am doing. Sometimes, an entire evening will pass and I didn’t eat anything besides lunch. I’m doing myself a disservice if I am not taking initiative to eat. Self care for me is paying less attention to the professional grind. You know, I like getting my haircuts. When I get my haircuts, I’m looking good and I’m feeling good. I go to the gym in the morning. I feel really productive. So, those are the small things I do in terms of self-care.

As I get older, I want to make sure I check in with my people…family members that I may not check in on that often. Sometimes, you are so focused on yourself that you forget about the people who helped to get you where you are. I know I definitely have uncles and grand aunts who were there for me growing up. I do want to take the time to say “Hey, I appreciate what you did for me.”

Self-care can mean a lot…the body, mind, and soul.

Isabelle: When you think back to Irvington, what are some health initiatives you wish were implemented?

Wadnes: Growing up in Irvington, I think you really want to have health education be an integral part of the curriculum early on in a child’s development…as early as possible. To make sure that they are informed with the best decisions as far as their health. Kids rely on their parents on what they’re eating. I hate to say it but sometimes, parents are not that informed. Parents often just give kids what they can give them and may not be aware of the health consequences of it. It’s not their fault…it’s a lack of education and opportunity. I think having health education being an integral part of the K-12 curriculum is essential…the same way we talk about the need for STEM education, we need to talk about educating the kids on what clean eating looks like…we need to talk and be open about these stuff. We need to make sure that kids can make the best decision that they can carry on as adults. I think that’s the best way to really impact future generations.

Want to read about more Black millennials re-imagining the health in their communities?

I wrote about that here and here.