Self-help among African Americans is that tradition of individual and group efforts aimed toward racial progress and defending against a hostile society. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the role and importance of health promotion in modifying the individual health behaviors of African Americans. It argues that encouraging African Americans, regardless of income, to take personal responsibility for their health is a necessary first step toward psychological and community empowerment. This review discusses each side of the individual versus societal responsibility issue and provides a rationale for integrating these two perspectives. It argues that the tradition of community-based self-help among African Americans is a mechanism for personal empowerment which can lead to collective action; and therefore, has important implications for the improvement of African American health. The search methods employed a computer-based inquiry with self-help, community health empowerment and African American or blacks used as descriptors. The authors also employed a computerized search by the last name of key authors writing in the area of minority health. The review was limited to references between 1964 and 1994. The review also relied on the professional libraries of the authors. Finally, fifteen knowledgeable individuals employed at universities around the country were queried about their work focusing on this subject. They represented the disciplines of public health (7), sociology (3), psychology (3), and community medicine (2). They were asked about their perceptions of the issues pertinent to the role of personal and societal responsibility in modifying health behaviors of African Americans. Some view the push for black self-help as a tactic which might result in decreased demands for social assistance and social change. A major roadblock to the acceptance of self-help among blacks is the argument that self-help is just another form of "victim-blaming." Others argue, however, that self-help organizations can empower its members by providing opportunities for gaining control over their lives and improved quality of life. Moreover, effective health behavior change strategies with black populations will require an integration of personal responsibility and advocacy for social systems change on a wide change of policy initiatives. The formation of effective self-help community-based coalition partnerships is a viable strategy for forging systemic changes to address the health disparity problem. The discussion concludes that blacks should hold themselves more personally responsible for solving their own problems while rejecting debilitating forms of extreme self blame. Affiliation with self-help organizations and community coalitions for health empowerment is offered as a strategy for community infrastructure development and with potential for improving quality of life.