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.

A Cardiovascular Disease Crisis

Black women are disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease. According to the American Heart Association’s Go Red website, “cardiovascular disease is the No.1 killer for women, but Black women experience the highest burden, where nearly 60% among ages 20 and over are living with some form of cardiovascular disease.”

For Charlene Ndi, a retired nurse and semi-retired social worker in home health and hospice, the statistics are all too real.

“I continue to see and experience the impact of high blood pressure, strokes, kidney disease, dialysis, chronic wounds, diabetes, and maternal mortality (pregnancy associated death). The myriad related conditions of (heart and blood vessel diseases) are far too common among Black women to be ignored,” Ndi says.

The Red Dress Speaks

The red worn in pews each February echoes the national Go Red for Women campaign, launched by the American Heart Association in 2004. But as Ndi notes, the symbolism predates the formal movement.

“Long before the Go Red for Women movement of the AHA began in 2004, Black women knew the significance of the ‘sassy red dress’ and its allure,” she says. “Among our mothers, aunts, sisters, the red dress was the statement that showed up in rooms before you opened your mouth. That red dress was ‘saying something’, especially when it was worn with a pair of shiny patent-leather slingback shoes to match.”

Ndi says the red dress continues to make its own entrance. “And with it, we declare a bold and courageous message like theirs, one that reduces the burden and dares to learn how to live a heart-healthy life they would be proud of.”

Beyond the Pew

In the Black church, the color red may catch the eye. But the real work is in the follow-up. Medical experts, including the Mayo Clinic, emphasize essential lifestyle changes to protect heart health: manage blood pressure, control cholesterol, reduce blood sugar, get active, eat better, lose weight, quit tobacco and get healthy sleep.

So on Sunday mornings in February, red fills the pews. But its message stretches well beyond the sanctuary doors: take care of your heart.