The National Black Men's Health Network was founded in June 1987 by a group of community-conscious individuals to raise public awareness about the excessive morbidity and mortality rates in the African-American community in general and among African-American males in particular. African-American males are known to suffer extremely high rates of heart disease, cancer, homicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, HIV disease, injuries, and other major causes of disability and death. While maintaining a specific focus on the grave and often-neglected health concerns of African-American men, the organization also advocates and supports attention to the health needs of women and children, believing that the overall health of any community depends upon a positive balance between the genders.

The National Black Men's Health Network has considerable experience in providing effective, culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate preventive health education for minority youth in addition to the homeless, through African-American churches, schools, community health centers and homeless shelters. Other areas of service include AIDS prevention education, the handicapped and veterans, involved fathers, nonviolent conflict resolution, prostate cancer, youth entrepreneurship in the African-American community, and substance abuse (including tobacco prevention ad cessation.)

The National Black Men's Health Network has developed effective educational materials specifically targeting low literacy populations, minority youth, and Christian organizations.

The founding members of the organization were the late John C. Birdine, Jean Bonhomme MD, Robert Currie and Terry Wilson.

John C. Birdine (1945-1992) was a disabled veteran who was partially blinded by a gunshot wound during service in Vietnam. He had been on hemodialysis for kidney failure for 19 years before receiving a kidney transplant. In spite of his disabilities, he was a highly active and well respected community activist until his death from cancer in March 1992.