Whereas cardiovascular disease (CVD)—including coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and high blood pressure—is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States; Whereas African Americans have a three-fold greater risk of developing CVD than all other Americans; Whereas according to the American Heart Association, among African-American women ages 20 and older, nearly half (48.3 percent) already have CVD; Whereas higher rates of heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest, heart failure, and stroke disproportionately affect African-American women; Whereas CVD kills nearly 50,000 African-American women annually, but only one in five African-American women believes she is personally at risk; Whereas major risk factors for heart disease, including diabetes, smoking, elevated blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity, and a family history of heart disease, all disproportionately impact Black women; Whereas research shows that prolonged exposure to stress, as from coping with racism, may produce higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol in Black women which can lead to higher rates of obesity, thereby increasing the risk of heart disease and other chronic illness; Whereas cardiovascular disease poses a significant financial burden in the form of direct health care costs and lost productivity, costing the United States approximately $200 billion a year; Whereas cardiovascular events such as stroke can cause permanent and debilitating damage with only 10 percent of stroke survivors making a full recovery; Whereas 39.5 million women have prediabetes; Whereas diabetes has been linked to cardiovascular illnesses, and adult diabetics are more likely to be at risk for heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure; Whereas diabetes has been linked to cardiovascular illnesses; Whereas many African-American women with diabetes are unaware that having diabetes increases their risk for CVD; Whereas women with diabetes are 40 percent more likely to develop heart disease