Lupus Awareness Month

BROOKLYN, NY (5/30/18) –Lupus is a complex, autoimmune disease that currently has no cure. This is also an illness that many - including those in the medical field, do not understand; making it harder to prevent and even harder for family and friends to be supportive. Details about the disease are still emerging, but some statistics are clear: lupus currently affects 1.5 million Americans with Black women bearing a disproportionate share.  According to the Lupus Foundation of American, lupus is two to three times more prevalent among women of color - African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans - than among Caucasian women.  Recent studies further indicate that lupus affects 1 in 537 young African American women.“Advocating for one month throughout the year is simply not enough for us to combat this gruesome disease. I urge those affected indirectly and directly to continue to pump up the purple power and continue to advocate even once Lupus Awareness Month has passed.  I will continue to advocate by creating legislation that will improve the lives for those effected”, State Senator Kevin Parker

During the 2017-18 legislative session, Senator Kevin Parker’s was able to pass Senate Bill S.1703 that authorized the creation of a lupus awareness license plate, and the funds collected from its sale to be used for lupus research and education. Senator Parker continues to be a leader, lending his voice to this very important issue.

“As someone diagnosed with Lupus, I find that there is not nearly enough ongoing education and awareness around Lupus. I applaud Senator Parker's efforts to continue to raise awareness all year long. I am excited to see the impact legislators and advocates can make to improve the quality of lives devastated by this cruel and unrelenting disease,” concluded Monique C. Gore-Massy, Lupus Lifestyle Ambassador /Advocate.

About State Senator Kevin Parker

Senator Kevin S. Parker is intimately familiar with the needs of his ethnically diverse Brooklyn district comprised of sections of Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Ditmas Park, Kensington, Windsor Terrace, and Park Slope.  A lifelong Brooklyn resident, he is the Ranking Democratic Member on the Senate Committee on Energy and Telecommunications.

Senator Parker is the Whip of the Senate Democratic Conference; Member of the Senate Democratic Conference Policy Group; Member of the Senate Select Committee on Technology & Innovation; and Member of the Senate Democratic Minority and Women-Owned Business Task Force (MWBE).

For the 2018-19 Legislative Session, Senator Parker serves on the Senate Standing Committees on Finance; Rules; Higher education; Labor; Insurance, and Banks.  

For more information on Senator Parker, please visit www.nysenate.gov/senators/kevin-s-parker.