Photo by Yvonne Kemp
On Saturday, May 21, 2022, award winning author Vivian L. King, hosted a special reading and conversation about her book, “When the Words Suddenly Stopped: Finding My Voice Again After a Massive Stroke” during National Stroke Awareness Month at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum, 2620 W. Center Street. African American women are twice as likely to suffer a stroke compared to white women, and they are more likely to have more severe strokes, and at younger ages. Most people worry about the more common stroke causes: high blood pressure, obesity, physical inactivity, heavy drinking, use of illicit drugs, smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, and family history. Doctors say taking birth control pills over the age of 40 is what led to a blood clot in King’s brain and, ultimately, her stroke. King uses National Stroke Awareness Month to warn women of stroke risk factors. Pictured at the event are (from left) Johnell Sharp, Shirley Sharp, Clayborn Benson, Vivian King, and Beverly Cooley.
