Award-winning actor, comedian, and producer Anthony Anderson, best known for his role as Andre “Dre” Johnson on the hit TV show, black-ish, visited Atlanta on Tuesday, Dec. 10 for an urgent mission, highlighting the need for awareness and action around Type 2 diabetes. Diagnosed with the condition at age 29, Anderson has become a vocal advocate for better understanding and management of diabetes, particularly in the Black community, which faces disproportionate risks.
Diabetes remains a significant health crisis in Georgia, where 12.1% of adults—roughly 1 million people—live with the condition. The impact on the Black community is especially severe, as systemic health disparities contribute to higher rates of Type 2 diabetes and related complications, “I feel it’s a responsibility to share my journey, to give my testimony,” Anderson told, during his visit. “I want to be able to share that story with them, to let them know that no this too touches people like me,” Anderson continued.
According to pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, adults living with Type 2 diabetes are at four times greater risk of stroke, heart attack, or cardiovascular death compared to those without diabetes.
Anderson’s advocacy is a key component of his partnership with Novo Nordisk’s “Get Real About Diabetes” campaign, which began approximately seven years ago in 2017. Christine M. Cascio, director of commercial communications spoke on the value that having Anderson brings, ”Anthony continues to play an invaluable role in our mission of encouraging adults, especially Black Americans and men, living with Type 2 diabetes to “get real’ about Type 2 diabetes and to talk to their doctors about the link between Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” Cascio told…