Editor's Letter
by Hilary Beard

Men Matter

What better way to observe Men’s Health Month and Father’s Day than with Harry Belafonte? The fearless singer, activist, statesman and dad explains how he dealt with prostate cancer and kept it moving. Unfortunately, for every success story, there are too many sad ones. In Philadelphia, where I live, roughly five black men get shot and at least one dies on an average day. The reasons are too familiar: substandard schooling; the loss of manufacturing jobs; incarceration; the treatment of substance abuse as a crime rather than a health problem; lax gun laws and more. But what can we do about it? Jimmie Briggs asked a national roundtable of experts for advice on how families and communities can heal, organize and take back our neighborhoods. It’s also important to be attuned to the things we can control. For instance, we can seek care when everyday symptoms like bad breath and dry skin signal deeper bodily imbalances (“What Is Your Body Telling You?”). And we can make sure that how we dress the fresh seasonal produce in a summer salad doesn’t cancel out its ability to nourish and heal.