In Black churches, February fashion doubles as a lifesaving reminder about heart health.
Black fashion is nowhere more prominent than in the church on Sunday mornings. But the prevalence of the color red being seen during February is more than a fashion statement; it’s a reminder to that February is Heart Health Month and it’s the right time for medical check ups and attention to diets and exercise.
Heart disease is the number one killer of Black women in this country. And the Black church has been proactive for many years in getting that message out as well and with as much power as the gospel message. It goes back to church nurses being trained to monitor blood pressure on a regular basis. It continues in fellowship halls where conversations about diet and exercise now sit alongside plates of beloved — and sometimes dangerously indulgent — church dinners.
It’s not a spiritual mandate — or maybe it is. After all, our bodies are the temples of God.
#HeartHealth #WearingRed #BlackChurches
