Angela Bassett headlines Know Diabetes by Heart’s virtual show from the Apollo Theater

The American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association’s joint initiative takes to Harlem’s World-Famous stage for an evening of entertainment and health empowerment rooted in Black culture

Golden Globe®-winning and Academy Award®-nominated actress Angela Bassett will perform an original monologue based on her family’s personal experience with type 2 diabetes and heart disease during a free, virtual show she’s also hosting Harlem’s World-Famous Apollo Theater on Tuesday, May 25, 2021.

The event is produced and presented by Know Diabetes by Heart™, a joint initiative of the American Heart Association® and American Diabetes Association® that helps people with diabetes, their loved ones and the health professionals who care for them manage the link between diabetes and cardiovascular disease, such as heart attacks, strokes and heart failure.

Know Diabetes by Heart at the Theater from the Apollo begins at 8 p.m. EDT (7 p.m. CDT). Advance registration is not required. To save the date, download the discussion guide and watch the show on May 25, go to DiabetesTheater.org.

Bassett, who serves as the celebrity ambassador for Know Diabetes by Heart in honor of her late mother, will host the first-ever Know Diabetes by Heart at the Theater event, which also includes monologues inspired by the turning points of Sarah Bryant and Anthony Wilson, two Know Diabetes by Heart national ambassadors now thriving with type 2 diabetes.

In addition to three moving theater performances, the event will feature entertainment by Howard University alumna Sage Chase, a jazz ensemble, dance and conversations around overcoming diabetes, heart disease and stroke in our families and community.

People living with type 2 diabetes are two times more likely to develop and die from cardiovascular disease than people who do not have diabetes. When compared to non-Hispanic white people, non-Hispanic Black people are three times as likely to end up in the hospital for uncontrolled diabetes.

“We know our Black brothers and sisters too often face a higher burden of illness. But we also know education, advocacy and structural change can make a difference. Whether you live with diabetes, love someone with diabetes or have lost someone to diabetes, heart disease or stroke, you’ll relate to something in this show,” Bassett said. “My hope is that everyone watching will have a good time and also decide to harness the individual power they have to improve their health and live these beautiful lives we have to the fullest.”

Know Diabetes by Heart is made possible with support from founding sponsors, the Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company Diabetes Alliance, and Novo Nordisk, and national sponsors, Sanofi, AstraZeneca and Bayer. Learn more at KnowDiabetesbyHeart.org.