Here in The Religion Corner of The Washington Informer, over the past 20 years, it has been my extreme pleasure to share my mother’s 12-year struggle with Type 2 diabetes before her death in 2000. This personal tragedy has been shared with readers around the world, to the broader, historical context of African American dietary habits and lifestyle, urging the community to reverse the diabetes epidemic by honoring their bodies and changing nutritional habits. My family’s struggle was due to our lack of knowledge. We never knew that a change in diet to less carbs and less sweets, and increasing green leafy vegetables, coupled with daily exercise, made all of the difference.
Let’s get real: Type 2 diabetes can be stopped. When we peel back the layers of why and how this disease takes hold, we empower our community to heal. This week, I want to discuss how we prevent and reverse this epidemic, but first, I must share why this mission is my life’s calling.
My mother, Fannie Estelle Hill-Grant, lived only 12 years after her diagnosis. Those years were a gauntlet of agony: double amputations, dialysis several times a week, and multiple strokes. Our family watched, devastated and unaware of how much power we actually had to change the outcome.
Since her passing on Christmas Day in 2000, I have spent 25 years teaching the lessons we learned too late. We could have changed everything by simply honoring our bodies as temples, by reducing sweets, cutting processed carbs, and embracing the life-giving power of fresh, raw vegetables. Just 30 minutes of movement, five days a week, could have rewritten her story.
The roots of the struggle began with seeds of this crisis that were planted long ago. Starting around 1790, enslaved Africans survived on meager rations. Historical records from the National Archives reveal a grim reality: Livestock were often fed better than the people working the fields.
Our ancestors were given the “scraps” — pig tails, pig feet, chitterlings and hog maws. Out of necessity and sheer brilliance, Black women transformed these remnants into “soul food.” These dishes — which included collard greens simmered in fatback, candied yams and cornbread — became symbols of comfort and survival. Though I, myself, Lyndia Grant, was born on a North Carolina farm in 1951, I remember those flavors well; they are the taste of home.
However, there was a biological balance at play back then. Enslaved people worked grueling 12-to-16-hour days. That intense physical labor counteracted the high-fat, high-sugar diet. They burned off the fuel they consumed. According to the National Institutes of Health, their bodies, equipped with “thrifty genes” designed to store energy during times of scarcity, stayed in balance because of that constant movement.
The modern crisis today is that those fields are gone, but the recipes remain. Many of us are still eating like our ancestors without moving the way they had to. The result is a sedentary lifestyle that has turned our “thrifty genes” against us. Obesity is now the leading driver of Type 2 diabetes. Extra body fat leads to insulin resistance, where the body can no longer process energy effectively. The statistics from the Office of Minority Health are sobering. Let’s take a look at some of their studies:
• Black Americans are 60% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than white adults.
• Complications like end-stage renal disease hit our community the hardest.
• Globally, 1 in 9 adults now live with diabetes, and 4 in 10 don’t even know they have it.
• In 2025, the cost of diagnosed diabetes reached a staggering $413 billion annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The American Diabetes Association reports that this figure includes approximately $307 billion in direct medical expenses and $106 billion in lost productivity due to the disease. This financial burden is a direct reflection of the physical toll diabetes takes on our community, where $1 out of every $4 spent on health care in the U.S. is dedicated to caring for those with diabetes.
We cannot let “lack of knowledge” continue to destroy our families. We must bridge the gap between the traditions of our past and the health requirements of our present. Next week, I’ll dive deeper into how we can break this cycle and start making real, lasting changes, including the newest GLP-1 treatment Ozempic. Stay tuned!
Lyndia Grant is a speaker/writer living in the D.C. area. Her radio show, “Think on These Things,” airs Fridays at 6 p.m. on 1340 AM (WYCB), a Radio One station. To reach Grant, go to her website, www.lyndiagrant.com, email lyndiagrantshowdc@gmail.com or call 240-602-6295. Follow her on X @LyndiaGrant and on Facebook.