On January 30, The American Heart Association kicked off American Heart Month with its annual Go Red for Women® Red Dress Collection® Concert at NYC’s Jazz at Lincoln Center. Stars turned out in droves, donning head-to-toe red to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease as the number one killer of women in the U.S. while participating in a celebratory night of music, fashion, and fundraising.
Hosted by Sharon Stone, the event saw stars like Sanaa Lathan, Teyana Taylor, Star Jones, Susan Kelechi Watson, and more hit the stage’s red runway, flaunting couture red gowns for the cause, while songstresses Suki Waterhouse and Sara Barelis provided the evening’s musical entertainment with stripped down acoustic sets. But amid all the fun and joy of the night, the women on the red carpet kept the cause front-of-mind – many expressing deeply personal connections to cardiovascular disease.
“I have a family member who suffered from heart disease, and she actually passed away,” Real Housewives of Atlanta star Porsha Williams tells ESSENCE. “The cause is close to my heart. If I can use my voice to bring attention and awareness and hopefully bring in more funds for women who can’t afford certain healthcare or properly advocate for themselves, then it’s really important for me to be here for that.”
A similar sentiment was shared by country sensation Reyna Roberts, who has examined her maternal family’s medical history to stay abreast of her own heart health.
“My mom has high blood pressure. My nana has diabetes. A lot of people don’t know that [cardiovascular disease] is the number one killer of women,” she says. “I feel like it’s important for people to know that this is something that you can also trace back through your family. You have to take care of your body.”
Liza Colon-Zayas, Emmy-winning star of FX’s hit chef dramedy The Bear, echoes the call for women to take care of themselves, particularly after watching the plight of someone dear to her.
“I have a loved one who, over the last couple of years – very young – had a stroke, and she won’t be the same,” she says. “We have to put ourselves first. Listen––I didn’t realize how high the numbers were. For Latinas, it’s 37% [of women affected by cardiovascular disease]. And it’s preventable, you know?”
“As women, we’re always the caretakers, right? So it’s important to remind each other to self-care,” she adds. “Make small changes. They don’t have to be huge.”
For Susan Kelechi Watson, star of hit network series This is Us and Will Trent, heart health has been a lifelong journey adopted as she watched her father navigate heart issues. She is a proponent of Black women educating themselves when it comes to the realities of heart disease so they can make better lifestyle choices. If heart disease can happen to someone you love, it can certainly happen to you.
“My dad has to deal with his heart health. What he has gone through made me completely change my diet and change the way I think about food and the way I think about my own physical health and self-care,” she says. “It’s something that I’ve watched as I’ve grown up and into adulthood, so this [event] was very meaningful in bringing awareness to that.”
Watson adds, “I think the younger you are when you get awareness, honestly, you can really change your lifestyle, live healthier, and in turn, not have to worry about [cardiovascular disease].”