Written and performed by artist Té Speight. Follow him at @wassupte on Instagram or @wasssupte on Twitter.
“WE’RE LOSING MORE PEOPLE TO THE SWEETS THAN TO THE STREETS.”
-Rev. Dr. Delman L. Coates
In DC, there’s a huge gap in life expectancy between residents in Wards 2 and 3 and residents in Wards 7 and 8. This gap is largely due to diet-related chronic illnesses like diabetes.
People living in Ward 8 are5 times more likely to have diabetes than residents of Ward 3.
Source: DC Department of Health,
Health Equity Report for the District of Columbia 2018
Meanwhile, the soda industry continues to target the black community through advertising:
Money spent on advertising junk food and sugary drinks on Black-targeted television...
Source: UConn Rudd Center, Increasing Disparities in Unhealthy Food Advertising Targeted to Black and Hispanic Youth