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Though he died in 2009 at the age of 87 in Virginia, the legacy of the man often cited as Syracuse’s first black pharmacist remains in bloom, like the fiery red roses he loved. Gaskin’s Pharmacy, which he opened on South Avenue in 1964, may be long gone. But his ties to the city he called home for 43 years will be on full display June 8 when 100 Black Men of Syracuse, in partnership with Crouse Hospital, hosts the fifth annual Winston Gaskin Community Walk for Wellness and Stroke Awareness.

The walk, a featured event of the Syracuse Juneteenth Festival, will be held for the third consecutive year at Thornden Park on Syracuse’s University Hill. Registrations, including a $10 registration fee for participants 13 and older, will be accepted from 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. the day of the walk and in advance online. Participants will walk a designated one-mile, two-mile or three-mile course inside the park.

The walk, which concludes at 11 a.m., honors its namesake, who was an Army veteran, one of three original founders of Housing Visions Unlimited, Inc. and chairman of the Syracuse Board of Zoning Appeals during the administration of former Syracuse Mayor Lee Alexander. Gaskin also served on the boards of the Dunbar Center, Syracuse chapter of the NAACP and Onondaga Office of Aging, and he was a gardener for the Syracuse Rose Society.

Proceeds from the walk, which is also dedicated to raising awareness about the signs and symptoms of stroke, will benefit the 100 Black Men of Syracuse, Inc. health and wellness initiatives and the Syracuse Juneteenth Festival. Donations are always welcomed from those unable to participate in the walk.

Though it was a frigid Saturday morning, a group of high school and middle school students got out of bed early Feb. 9 to learn how to better manage and grow their money. With the area still digging out from a major snowstorm the night before, they received insight, advice and guidance about “needs, wants and desires,” excessive spending, savings and entrepreneurship. 100 Black Men of Syracuse sponsored the financial literacy workshop, which was led by author and financial educator Me’Shae Brooks-Rolling.

	Me'Shae Brooks-Rolling offers some advice to a couple of  100 Black Men mentees following her presentation. Click here  for other photos from the Feb. 9 financial literacy workshop.

 “Teaching our youth to understand and manage their finances provides them with a valuable tool for obtaining future success and sustainability,” said 100 Black Men of Syracuse President Vincent B. Love.

Most of the youth participating in the workshop that day are enrolled in the 100’s manhood training program and the organization’s mentoring groups at Fowler High School and Westside Academy. Other attendees were from Jamesville-DeWitt High School, and several are members of the Junior Frontiers of the Mohawk Valley.

“Our students were prepared and hungry for this kind of information,” said Glenn Williams, Mentoring Committee Chairman for the 100 and program leader for the organization’s manhood training program. “You could see it through their high level of attention and engagement with Mrs. Brooks-Rolling throughout the two-hour workshop.”

The multi-media training room at the South Side Innovation Center, where the 100 Black Men of Syracuse office is located, was the venue for the first in what the organization hopes will be a series of financial literacy workshops to benefit the community it serves.