Reclaim your Rhythm

Let's reclaim control of our well-being      
Our Way. Mind. Body. Spirit.

Reclaim Your Rhythm

The American Heart Association is encouraging Black women to Reclaim Your Rhythm and take control of their mental and physical well-being. Like taking a familiar song and adding, removing or changing pieces of it, Black women have been empowered with greater knowledge and determination to heal and protect their physical and mental health and wellbeing.

In recognition of the physical and emotional toll the global pandemic and structural racism has taken on Black women, AHA will help empower Black women to bring to light their overall mental and physical well-being by using and uplifting their voices and sounds. Reclaim Your Rhythm will also use music to get their hearts pumping, or to rest or relax.

Music means so many things to different people across the country. Your favorite playlist can change the trajectory of your day. We have invited some of our favorite folks to share the songs by Black artists to get you moving alone or with others, or to help you rest and relax. We’ve also asked them to share their thoughts on the importance of taking care of their heart health and mental well-being.   

Reclaim your Rhythm

Focus on Heart health and mental well-being

Doctor

The doctor is in! Join us for answers to your questions, as well as the health news and advice you need right now. Have questions about heart attacks and stroke?

Want to share a health tip (hack) that helps you streamline your health goals? The American Heart Association experts may answer them on the next House Calls Livestream. Ask your question.

The Importance of Health Equity

Nancy Brown

Ever wonder how some of the most remarkable people find their purpose? At the Heart of It with CEO Nancy Brown gives you a look into their thought process and practices on how they manage their own well-being along the way.

Dr. Regina Benjamin, the 18th Surgeon General of the United States and a public health expert, talks about the importance of quality healthcare for all and offers her advice and wisdom to help everyone live longer, healthier, happier lives.  At The Heart of It: The Importance of Health Equity
 

The Urgent Need for Health Equity

Family Interacting During COVID19For years we’ve been striving to ensure everyone has an optimal, just opportunity to be healthy. But this is not the reality for many people of color and others whose health suffers because of social factors beyond their control. In fact, people in some under-resourced ZIP codes have shorter life expectancies than their neighbors just a few miles away. And people in often-remote rural areas face significantly higher death rates from heart disease and stroke.

COVID-19 has illuminated these unacceptable health disparities and worsened the problems. The pandemic and economic hardships have disproportionately harmed the health of Black, Latino and Native American people. That’s why our 2024 Impact Goal affirms our focus on identifying and removing barriers to health equity.

Read more about our work related to COVID-19 and health equity.

Structural racism is a driver of health disparities, report declares

FG Trade/E+, Getty Images

The nation's history of structural racism must be acknowledged as a driver of health problems and shortened lives for Black people and other racial and ethnic groups, says an American Heart Association report that seeks to spark action to fix the problem.   

"Structural racism has been and remains a fundamental cause of persistent health disparities in the United States," declares the presidential advisory published Tuesday in the AHA's journal Circulation. It offers a summary of the historical context of structural discrimination, connects it to current health disparities and looks for ways to dismantle or mitigate its continuing effects.

Read more about the presidential advisory.

Heart Disease and Mental Health Among Black Women

Heart Disease and Mental Health Among Black Women InfographicOnly one in three black people in America who need mental health services receives it.

Barriers to quality care include:

  • Stigma associated with mental illness
  • Distrust of the health care sector
  • Lack of providers from diverse backgrounds
  • Lack of insurance, underinsurance

Read the Heart  Disease and Mental Health Among Black Women infographic
Download the PDF

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Live and On Demand Video Gallery

While Black Americans are suffering through a cycle of grief and emotional distress due to the global health pandemic and the calls for social and racial justice, Black women, who are also at high risk for heart disease, are facing an overwhelming mental health crisis which impacts their heart health, mental health and overall well-being.

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Featured EmPOWERED Voices Videos

Black Men’s Health – Perspectives of Black Culture Icons | Structural racism has a devastating impact on the health of men of color – specifically mental and cardiovascular health. Jawn Murray, Damion Hall, Mathew Knowles, Trymaine Lee, Mel Gravely discuss how creating more accessible, equitable solutions for people of color across the country.
EmPOWERED Black Women and Well-Being Roundtable: This virtual experience is the first in a collaborative series between EmPOWERED to Serve™ and Go Red for Women. Amy Dubois Barnett, senior vice president and general manager of digital for BET, moderated, and Sorority Presidents from the Divine Nine (D9) and The Links, Incorporated led the discussion.

The conversation explored health equity and how the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines relate to the heart health of Black women — because we know one life lost due to heart disease is one too many.

A Chart-Topping Lineup: The 2022 Class of Real Women