Breaking the Silence: Addressing Dementia in High-Risk Populations

Thank You

Thank you to the sponsors, volunteers and attendees of the 12th Annual Minority Health Month event: Breaking the Silence: Addressing Dementia in High-Risk Populations

This year’s program facilitated powerful conversation centered on awareness, advocacy, and culturally responsive care. We were especially excited to welcome The Amazing Grace Chorus® to open the program with an uplifting performance designed to inspire hope and joy for families, caregivers, and community members.

Speakers:

• Roland Thorpe, Jr., PhD, MS, Managing Director, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Tito Izard, M.D., President & CEO, Milwaukee Health Services, Inc.
• AND a special appearance by Green Bay Packers legend Antonio Freeman. Mr. Freeman joined a Q&A about brain health and Black men’s wellness

Together, WE CAN BREAK THE SILENCE, strengthen awareness, and ensure our families receive the essential services, resources, and hope they need – and deserve.

Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) remain a worldwide burden to address for persons with ADRD, their family members, and others at risk, and should be recognized as a public health priority. Current data indicates that African Americans are nearly two times at risk, and Latinos one and one-half times at risk to develop Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. Both populations use substantially more hospital, physician, and home-health care services, while incurring significantly higher costs for those services. Despite this public health crisis, high-risk populations continue to be under-diagnosed and under-represented in health initiatives studying Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia. Registration is requested for this no-cost community event.

Event Venue: The event is held at the Italian Conference Center (ICC) located at 631 E. Chicago Street in Milwaukee, WI. Please note: the event is in the grand ballroom of ICC this year. Parking: Enter the parking lot on Jackson Street. Complimentary parking is provided in both sections of the lot.

Building a Future to Remember

Due to the pervasiveness of this disease in the United States, Breaking the Silence was created in 2014 as a highly visible platform to bring people together to address the devastating impact that dementia is having in our communities, and became the first annual event in Wisconsin to focus on dementia as a public health issue. The goal of the annual community dialogue is to help families suffering in silence have a voice, join in the discussion about its impact, and to offer them hope and support as they go through this disease journey with their loved ones. Together, we can continue to break the silence and help individuals and families get access to the services they need.

By “knowing your numbers”—such as blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and body mass index— the event emphasized preventive care and early intervention as critical tools for protecting long-term cognitive health. The theme also addressed longstanding barriers Black men face in accessing care, including mistrust of health systems, stigma, and structural inequities.

The event built on a growing recognition that Black men experience unique and compounding health risks related to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, and other chronic conditions that are closely linked to brain health and dementia risk. Download details about the event reach and impact: 2026 event impact report (pdf)