This presentation will cover how health disparities and racial traumatic stress affect the brain and can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Attendees will develop an understanding of the disproportionate health outcomes that occur in Black Americans due to cumulative intergenerational trauma.

The presentation aims to increase awareness of Juneteenth and its historical relevance. In 1865 when enslaved people in Texas, the westernmost confederate state, received word that they were freed from slavery, the date was June 19th, hence the name Juneteenth. What they weren’t told is that they had already been freed two years earlier by the Emancipation Proclamation.

The historical perspective of Juneteenth, which became a national holiday in 2021, will be the backdrop for a presentation aimed at helping those who care for the particular needs of Black individuals living with memory loss. Attendees will be provided with the knowledge to be a more informed care partner, actional steps that can be implemented for improved health outcomes as well as a sample intervention.

Olivia Thomas, MPH

Education Program Coordinator

Alzheimer’s Foundation of America