Diabetes in the African American Community
Filed Under: Baby Boomer · Black Health · Black Health and Wellness · Black Men’s Health · Black Women’s Health · Diabetes
Filed Under: Baby Boomer · Black Health · Black Health and Wellness · Black Men’s Health · Black Women’s Health · Diabetes
One Saturday morning back in ‘64, I was sitting in our community’s”pinnacle of opinion”, Red’s Barbershop, waiting for my turn in the chair.
There was a heated discussion going on between several of the Saturday morning regulars and as usual, I learned something.
After a considerable amount of friendly bickering, finger-pointing and debate over his symptoms, John, who was sitting in the barber’s chair at the time, finally agreed with the others.
He said something like, “I guess for all intents and purposes, I’ve ‘caught’ the Sugar.”
By that time, I’d heard of a few people who had “caught” the disease, but I’d never been told what it actually meant to have the ‘Sugar.’
What I did know was if someone actually caught the “Sugar,” it was serious. Up until that day, when people spoke of it around me, it was with a hushed voice.
Looking back I don’t think many people in my community knew exactly what it was, or how to combat it, they just knew it was not a good thing to have.
I have learned of parents who had diabetes back then, but hid the fact from their children. Later in life one or more of their children contracted, or most likely inherited, the disease.
One thing I remember about the barbershop conversation was when Jeremiah, who was in his late seventies, asked, “I got just one question. So what’s that mean, I’m Black, so I’m probably gonna catch the ‘Sugar’ too?.”
His observation was met with a loud chorus of, “Hell Yes!,” followed by more bickering, finger-pointing, debate and laughter. Barbershop conversations always seemed to end like that, with laughter.
Well, it’s over fifty years later and to paraphrase the gentleman’s question, “Is it ’cause I’m Black?” The answer to that hit closer to home than he would have ever imagined.
I’ll explain my theory, but first we need to determine exactly what we are dealing with as a community in the next segment.
Segment #2: What is Diabetes or ‘The Sugar’?
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“Good Health and Success are a Lifestyle . . . Let’s Choose to Live Well,”
CK Dillon
Contact: Charles@CreateVitality.Com
On the Web: Http://CreateVitality.Com
