This Week on American Black Journal:

New data released by EHproject shows Black women are at higher risk for heart disease

New statistics from the medical team at EHproject show African American women are at a greater risk for cardiovascular disease than their white counterparts. The latest report found 47.3% of Black women have heart disease and are 2.4 times more likely to develop heart disease over their lifetime.

The report also found Black women to have the highest rate of hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke than women of any other ethnic group in the United States. According to the data, the average age for a Black woman to experience a heart attack is 72 compared to age 74 for white women. 

The most common symptoms of heart disease in women, which can vary from men’s symptoms, include pain or aching in the chest, known as angina; jaw, throat or neck pain; discomfort in your lower back or stomach; excessive tiredness; and nausea or vomiting. Recommended ways to promote heart health include reducing high blood pressure, lowering cholesterol levels, being physically active, and managing stress. 

For American Heart Month, Henry Ford Health Cardiologist Dr. Brittany Fuller joins host Stephen Henderson to talk about the alarming data released by EHproject this year and the reasons for higher incidences of heart disease among African American women. Dr. Fuller also provides some helpful advice on what women can do to reduce their risk factors.

Black student artwork on display at The Carr Center, Bedrock’s ‘Celebrating Black Arts’ exhibit

The Carr Center is lifting the city’s student and emerging artists in a new “Celebrating Black Arts” exhibit in collaboration with Bedrock. The pop-up exhibit and cultural space is inside Bedrock’s 1001 Woodward Avenue building through the end of Black History Month. It features artwork by 23 student artists from 10 Detroit schools, along with 10 emerging and established artists from the city.  

Throughout the month, the exhibit space also hosts quilt-making workshops and spoken word, film, music and dance performances. The Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan’s “House of New Detroit” collection from its fashion club is also on display. 

At the end of the month, top prizes for two art categories — the junior division, grades 6-8, and the senior division, grades 9-12 — will be chosen. The exhibit is open 4-8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 12-4 p.m. Saturdays; and 1-5 p.m. Sundays. 

The Carr Center President Oliver Ragsdale joins host Stephen Henderson to share details about the exhibit. Plus, he talks about the importance of having this celebration of Black art forms in a prominent downtown Detroit location during Black History Month. 

Attention turns to Detroit as the city prepares to host the 2024 NFL Draft

The 2024 NFL Draft takes place in Detroit April 25-27. Campus Martius and Hart Plaza will be the primary sites for NFL draft activity in the city, which will include the NFL Draft Experience, the NFL’s interactive theme park.  

Hundreds of thousands of football fans are expected to visit Detroit for the draft, Visit Detroit CEO Claude Molinari said. During the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas, more than 300,000 fans attended events in the city and NFL draft coverage was seen by 10 million viewers, a Ford Field press release said. With a handful of other NFL cities close to Detroit, Molinari expects attendance in the city to meet or exceed previous years.

Visit Detroit is also offering “On the Clock” tours through April. The tours include 10 stops across seven of Detroit’s neighborhoods in an effort to boost excitement around the city’s neighborhoods leading up to draft day.  

Molinari sat down with host Stephen Henderson at the 2024 Detroit Policy Conference to talk about how the city plans to host the three-day event, how the perception of Detroit has changed in the last decade, and the impact the draft will have on suburban counties like Oakland and Macomb.

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Watch American Black Journal on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on Detroit Public TV, WTVS-Channel 56.​