One Thousand Dreams:  A Men's Health Month Message to Black Men

June is Men's Health Month, and this year, I want to speak directly to Black men — not about statistics or risk factors, but about something far more personal: what it actually takes to stay well enough to live the life you were built for.

I recently sat down with Kerry Watson, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for the Baltimore Orioles, a man who has worn many hats throughout his life. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Prince George's County, Kerry played football, served as a Prince George's County police officer for twenty years, worked in government and corporate affairs, and now stands as one of the most senior Black executives in professional baseball. By every measure, he is a man who shows up.

But what struck me most about our conversation was not his résumé. It was his honesty.

In December 2025, Kerry underwent spinal decompression surgery after months of debilitating back pain that had left him barely able to walk. The cause? Years of wear and tear — from the football field to the police cruiser to the weight room, where he had once pushed his body to peak physical condition. All of that dedication to fitness, and still his body sent him a message he could not ignore.

"It was torture, really," he told me. "There's the emotional, mental part of it — you start to feel like your body is failing you. I was incapacitated. There were days and weeks I genuinely couldn't get out of bed. And I had always been pretty fit, able to take care of myself. It was humbling."

Humbling. That word matters. Because we don't hear Black men say that word nearly enough.

Kerry has been in physical therapy for five months since his surgery, doing the work, rebuilding his strength, and learning to listen to his body in a new way. And when I asked him what message he would offer to other Black men in honor of Men's Health Month, he didn't hesitate.

"We are hard on each other," he said plainly. "We have to pretend to be the hardest, toughest folks in the room all the time. And I believe that we need to not only show each other more grace but also be more vulnerable with each other. We all have stressors in life, and sometimes you need to let that stress go and talk to somebody. We've got to do a better job as Black men making ourselves available for those conversations — letting that pain out."

He talked about not being afraid to go to therapy. Not being afraid to go to the doctor and get the medication you need. Not letting stress silently consume you while the world watches you carry it without complaint.

Kerry also made clear that wellness is not just about the gym. "It has to be holistic," he said. "It can't just be working out your body. It has to be working out your mind — reading a good book, listening to good music, sitting quietly in prayer. That kind of meditation is good for your spirit, your mind, your soul. And I'm convinced, your body as well."

He is a man who finds restoration in baseball — not just as his profession, but as a fan, sitting with family, letting himself be present without an agenda. That, too, he says, is health.

Near the end of our conversation, I shared something that I had once read and that has become something of a guiding truth for me: When you have your health, you have a thousand dreams. But if you don't have your health, you have just one.

Kerry paused. "When I was laid up in that bed in excruciating pain," he said quietly, "my only dream was to not feel this pain anymore and to be able to walk again. When you're healthy, your mind opens up, and you're free — free to have plans tomorrow, free to have goals for yourself."

Free.

That is the word I want to leave with every Black man reading this today. Your health is not a luxury. It is the foundation of your freedom — your freedom to lead, to love, to build, to serve, to leave a legacy that outlives you, the way Kerry's grandfather, the Reverend John David MacArthur, left one for him.

This June, be intentional. Make the appointment. Go to therapy. Take the walk. Ask for help. Let someone in.

You are too precious — and your dreams are too important — to carry them all alone.

Michelle Petties is a TEDx speaker, Food Story coach, and the award-winning author of the memoir Leaving Large: The Stories of a Food Addict. After gaining and losing 700 pounds, Michelle discovered the secret to overcoming stress and emotional overeating. Her free workbook, Mind Over Meals, reveals her core principles for losing weight and keeping it off.