By 2030, nearly half (40%) of those living with Alzheimer’s disease, which impacts roughly 7 million people annually in the U.S., will be Black and Latino. Yet Black and brown communities continue to face significant barriers to care and awareness and remain underrepresented in clinical trials. Deanna Darlington, who launched the new campaign AlzInColor, hopes to help change that, starting with spreading the word.
Launched in January, the campaign aims to elevate brain health conversations across Black and Latino communities. It offers a resource library, brain health quiz, personal stories, and webinars designed to help families normalize discussions around brain health.
“We have to begin to speak about it more,” Darlington told theGrio in a recent interview. “We have to talk about it with our healthcare practitioners earlier, and not wait until there’s a diagnosis or memory issues that we’re noticing.”
Darlington hopes to spark conversations among communities of color who, despite being at greater risk, often remain in the dark about the disease, which occurs when abnormal protein buildup in the brain causes cells to die over time, leading to brain shrinkage, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is the fourth leading cause of death for Black individuals over 65.
Common symptoms include severe memory loss and changes in thinking, reasoning, or judgment. There is still no cure, and a distinct cause — including what is driving the disproportionate impact on Black and Latino communities — has not been determined. What is clear, however, is that stigma surrounding the disease can be overwhelming.
“We really don’t talk about the impact to Black and brown communities when we talk about Alzheimer’s,” Darlington stressed, noting she speaks from personal experience.
Her father died from the disease, she explained. But she had access to resources, a strong support system, and open communication with her family, an experience she says “helps me here,” because she understands what others may need. Sharing stories and speaking openly can shed light on the disease and help eradicate the shame that often prevents families from connecting with life-changing resources sooner. Through the campaign, she is inviting others — in whatever medium they see fit, be it video, spoken word, and beyond — to share their experiences of living with Alzheimer’s or caring for loved ones to further help break down stigma.
Since launching, the campaign has been behind the inaugural “Latino Brain Health Awareness Week” from January 26 through January 31, commemorated AlzInColor Day on Feb. 2, and “Black Brain Health Awareness Week” Feb. 3 through Feb. 8.
In a PSA video released alongside the campaign, two families, one Black in a barbershop and one Latino during a family gathering, grapple with an older relative who occasionally struggles with memory. In both scenes, family members candidly discuss how their loved one doesn’t always connect the dots the way they used to, only for moments of clarity to return. Each family urges viewers to “raise the volume” on this urgent conversation.
“I think it’s important because it shows diverse communities — it shows our brown faces — and that we’re impacted by this, but it’s okay,” Darlington said of the video and shared stories. “It’s nothing for us to be ashamed of. Rather, it’s something for us to talk about, to learn from one another, and to understand somebody else’s journey.”
