Memory Sunday and Memory Sabbath

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 2024

Memory Sabbath takes place on Saturday, June 8, 2024 and Memory Sunday takes place on Sunday, June 9, 2024. The ADS Calendar lists participating faith communities. If your faith community would like to participate, e-mail Angeilea Yancey-Watson, African American Reach and Teach Health, at AngeileaY@aarth.org.

Memory Sunday and Memory Sabbath Initiatives

Memory Sunday is an annual event typically scheduled on the second Sunday in June. Memory Sabbath occurs one day earlier.

Memory Sunday 2024 save-the-date flyer and facts about Alzheimer's and other dementias among people of African descent

Click on the image above

On Memory Sunday and Memory Sabbath, faith communities serving African Americans provide education on Alzheimer’s, including 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.

Memory Sunday is 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, and was initially developed by the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging.

For more information, email our Aging and Disability Services Planner Karen Winston.

Click on the headings below for more information.

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