From Angela Bassett’s amazing performance as Tina Turner in the 1993 biopic What’s Love Got To Do With It to her casting as Marie Laveau in American Horror Story, the Golden Globe-winning actress has earned her flowers as an acting legend. In a recent interview, Bassett revealed that she’s using her influence to bring awareness about type 2 diabetes, a big health issue in the Black community and one close to her heart.
Though any race can be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, African Americans are at a higher risk due to genetics and insulin resistance, among other factors. According to a published research article on the topic, type 2 diabetes are 1.4-2.3 fold higher in the Black community when compared with white counterparts.
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“I came aboard as an ambassador about five or six years ago with the American Heart Association, but two years ago the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association joined together in partnership to begin this initiative Know Diabetes by Heart,” she told Blavity in an interview. The program will allow Bassett to spread awareness to the Black community and others heavily affected by diabetes.
The Black Panther actress also told Blavity about her family history with diabetes, “It’s personal to me because my mother developed type 2 diabetes later on in life and she subsequently made her transition from heart failure. Her brother, my uncle Ralph, has also contracted this, but we know more now.”
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Speaking on the importance of knowing about the disease, she added “We can do more now to make sure he is doing what he needs to do in terms of connecting with his healthcare provider, moving more, eating properly, and all of the things that will keep him around because we love and adore him.”
While Bassett emphasized the need for more awareness about diabetes in the Black community, she also stated the importance of visiting a medical professional and developing a personalized plan for your health.
“Trust your healthcare provider, find one that you trust, and make a plan together,” she said. “The healthcare provider is number one.”
