Mayor proclaims Friday, February 4th “Wear Red Day” in City of Laurel

During a proclamation signing on Tuesday morning at 10 a.m., Laurel Mayor Johnny Magee kicked off the month of February by proclaiming that Friday, February 4^th would be “Wear Red Day” in the city of Laurel.

While February has long been associated with love and heart-shaped treats, since 1964 it has also been the month that Americans celebrate National Heart Health month. For many years, cardiovascular health was thought to be primarily a concern for older men, but as more research has been conducted, heart health has become a hot topic for women’s health experts and advocates as well.

Since 2001, advocates for women’s health have promoted the Wear Red Day program to encourage people to wear red on the first Friday in February to raise awareness about heart health for women.

Locally, Ms. Faye Jackson and members of the Order of the Eastern Star have been advocates for women’s heart health and in promoting this event.

The proclamation Mayor Magee signed reads as follows:

WHEREAS, heart disease is the number one killer of women, causing one in every four deaths among women; and

WHEREAS, women’s risk of heart disease begins to increase between ages forty and sixty; and

WHEREAS, women, historically, have failed to make the connection between risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol and their personal risk of developing heart disease; and

WHEREAS, research reveals that most women underestimate their personal risk and do not fully understand the devastating impact that heart disease has on one’s life and family; and

WHEREAS, Wear Red Day is a program which was begun in 2001 when seventy leading experts in women’s health sought to develop a national action plan to reduce the toll of heart disease on American women; and

WHEREAS, Wear Red Day is designed to get attention, to convey the seriousness of heart disease, and to change the perception that heart disease is only a man’s issue; and

WHEREAS, the first Friday in February of each year has been designated Wear Red Day by The Heart Truth, which is the national campaign for awareness of women’s heart health sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS); and

WHEREAS, the City of Laurel wishes to participate in this worthwhile program

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Johnny Magee, Mayor of the City of Laurel, do herby declare Friday, February 4, 2022 as National Wear Red Day in the city of Laurel and encourage all citizens to educate themselves about the risk factors of heart disease in women, the seriousness of the impact of heart disease on women and their families, and the importance of taking actions among women to protect their heart health.

IN WITNESS THEROF, I HAVE HEREUNTO SET MY HAND AND CAUSED THE SEAL OF THE CITY OF LAUREL, MISSISSIPPI TO BE AFFIXED THIS THE 1^ST DAY OF FEBRUARY, A.D. 2022.