This Pittsburgh sorority is looking to flip the script on Black women’s heart health

KILLER IN WOMEN. THAT’S WHY THIS FEBRUARY DURING AMERICAN HEART MONTH, WE ARE SPREADING AWARENESS. YEAH, THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION SAYS BLACK WOMEN ARE LESS LIKELY THAN WHITE WOMEN TO BE AWARE THAT HEART DISEASE IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH. SO A LOCAL GROUP IS WORKING TO CHANGE THAT AT THE PROPEL

WELLNESS CENTER, MEMBERS OF THE SIGMA GAMMA RHO SORORITY, THE DELTA PHI SIGMA ALUMNI CHAPTER IN PITTSBURGH, ARE WORKING TO EDUCATE WOMEN ABOUT HEART HEALTH. WE ARE A HISTORICALLY BLACK ORGANIZATION, AND THAT’S SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN WITHHELD. UM, YOU KNOW, HISTORICALLY FROM AFRICAN AMERICANS AND MINORITIES, ARIBA WALKER HELPED PLAN THIS WELLNESS EVENT CALLED

E THREE EDUCATE, EXERCISE AND EAT FOR HEART HEALTH. OUR GOAL IS TO JUST HAVE PEOPLE STOP, PAUSE, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY WE’RE TALKING ABOUT, GO TO THE DOCTOR. YOU’RE PAYING FOR IT WITH YOUR INSURANCE. GO TO THE DOCTOR. AND WE TALK ABOUT WHEN YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR, ASK QUESTIONS.

DON’T JUST GO THERE AND SIT. ASK THE QUESTIONS. GET THE INFORMATION THAT YOU NEED. THAT’S EXACTLY WHY NATORI RICHARDSON DECIDED TO ATTEND A LOT OF PEOPLE IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY DON’T KNOW WHAT THE RESOURCES ARE EVEN OUT THERE TO EVEN LOOK OR EVEN WHO TO ASK. SO JUST TO HAVE THIS TYPE OF

ENVIRONMENT TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL COMFORTABLE IS ALWAYS A WIN FOR OUR COMMUNITY. BRANDY LEE, A WELLNESS EXPERT, TALKED ABOUT THOSE RESOURCES AVAILABLE. IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOT ONLY THINK ABOUT WALKING AND YOUR PHYSICAL WELL-BEING, BUT ALSO YOUR ENVIRONMENT AND THE OTHER DIMENSIONS OF WELLNESS, LEE SAYS. AFRICAN AMERICANS ARE 30% MORE

LIKELY TO DIE FROM HEART DISEASE THAN NON-HISPANIC WHITE PEOPLE. THAT’S WHY AN EDUCATIONAL EVENT LIKE THIS IS CRUCIAL. SO IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO FOCUS ON THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE, BECAUSE WE WANT US TO BE HERE, SHE SAYS. HEART DISEASE IS PREVENTABLE, AND ONE THING YOU CAN DO TO

LOWER YOUR RISK IS TO MOVE. FOR ME, I THINK THE BIGGEST THING I LEARNED WAS IS MAKING SURE THAT YOU JUST LIKE PLAY OR LIT OUT ALL OF YOUR ENERGY. A LOT OF TIMES WE GO HOME STRESSED AND THAT CAN IMPACT OUR HEART HEALTH. AND SO JUST, YOU KNOW, DOING

SOMETHING ACTIVE, WHETHER IT’S MAKING NOISE, DANCING OR SINGING, THAT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT COULD HELP WITH THE HEART HEALTH. THE GROUP ALSO GOT OUTSIDE AND WENT FOR A GROUP WALK. WHEN YOU DO THINGS TOGETHER AND AS A COMMUNITY, IT’S SO MUCH EASIER TO TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOALS. AND WHEN THEY GOT BACK, THERE

WERE HEALTHY RECIPES FROM THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION TO TRY LIKE BLACK BEAN DIP, A YOGURT DESSERT, AND ALMOND TRAIL MIX. I’VE NEVER TRIED TO MAKE THEM BEFORE, BUT NOW I’M TAKING THOSE RECIPES DOWN AND GOING TO MAKE THEM. EVERYONE WALKING OUT OF THE E THREE EDUCATE, EXERCISE AND EAT

FOR HEART HEALTH EVENT WITH A FOURTH E FEELING EMPOWERED I FEEL VERY EMPOWERED. YES I DO, I ACTUALLY I CAME IN HERE LIKE REALLY LIKE SLUGGISH BECAUSE IT’S THE MORNING TIME. BUT NOW I’M LIKE, I’M READY TO DO SOMETHING. WE LOVE TO HEAR THAT AND THAT DRIVE TO WANT TO DO SOMETHING IS

WHAT THIS EVENT IS ALL ABOUT. THE DELTA PHI SIGMA ALUMNI CHAPTER SAYS THEY HOPE THESE LADIES WILL SHARE WHAT THEY LEARNED WITH NOT ONLY THEIR FAMILIES, BUT

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