Memory Sunday

image of a Black family & purple ribbon - Memory Sunday - promoting brain health and dementia awareness among people of African descent

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Memory Sunday is June 11, 2023

Memory Sunday is an annual event typically scheduled on the second Sunday in June. Memory Sabbath occurs one day earlier. In 2023, Memory Sabbath is Saturday, June 10. Memory Sunday is Sunday, June 11. For 2023 event information, see our 2023 calendar.

Participating faith communities are also listed for the following years: 2022 | 2021

On Memory Sabbath and Memory Sunday, faith communities serving African Americans provide education on Alzheimer’s: prevention, treatment, research studies, and caregiving. Memory Sunday brings national and local attention to the tremendous burden that Alzheimer’s and other dementias are having on the African American community. Using the power and influence of the African American pulpit, Memory Sunday brings awareness, encourages early diagnosis and participation in research studies, and provides information and resources for persons living with Alzheimer’s and their caregivers.

According to the Washington State Dementia Action Collaborative:

  • The number of older African Americans in Washington is growing. By 2040, this population is estimated to increase from about 43,000 to about 80,000 (83 percent).
  • African Americans are about two times more likely to have Alzheimer’s disease than the non-Hispanic white population.
  • African Americans are more likely to be misdiagnosed or diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in the later stages of the disease.

An initiative of the National Brain Health Center for African Americans, founded by The Balm In Gilead, which provides support to faith communities and other institutions that work to eliminate health disparities, Memory Sunday was initially developed by the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging.

For more information about Memory Sunday in Seattle-King County and for handouts and other resources, e-mail ADS planner Karen Winston (Karen.Winston@seattle.gov).

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