Groundbreaking Diabetes Initiative hosts World Diabetes Day Roundtable Discussion (November 14) in Washington, D.C.

Social Art and Culture Continues to Connect Artivism and Health for Diabetes Care Management

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, October 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The American Diabetes Association’s 2023 State Fact Sheet notes that adult diabetes prevalence in the District is estimated at 11.1%, and about 36,000 adults, or 14.3% of the adult population, have been diagnosed with diabetes. With an immediate need for culturally grounded public health interventions, Social Art and Culture has merged art and public health to shift diabetes education from focusing solely on clinical statistics to including creative care. Even as research continues, current healthcare costs are affecting access to care, and patient education has remained stagnant since 2023.

Social Art and Culture, a nonprofit advancing equity through artistic and creative practice in Washington, DC, continues its work in the Type 2 diabetes space with the FREE public discussion, entitled Artivists for Health: World Diabetes Day Roundtable Discussion on November 14, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 pm at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library, room 401-A. As part of the Artivists for Health Initiative, the conversation will explore “Art As A Social Prescription,” in which physicians, medical experts, and public health providers recommend creative wellness activities as part of holistic care. In a 2025 NPR Morning Edition interview, Dr. Alan Siegel, a family physician at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif., and executive director of Social Prescribing USA, notes, “Social prescribing really has the promise and the research to back it up to change health care in ways that would be healing for all of us”.

In partnership with WPFW 89.3 FM and We Act Radio, and moderated by Lisa Simms Booth, Executive Director, Smith Center for Healing and the Arts. This live, in-person public discussion examines how the arts can work alongside resources to support people living with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) as a complementary approach to traditional diabetes care management. “I am so honored to be part of this important conversation that brings to life two of my passions – showcasing how art and creativity are tools for healing and a pathway for better health. I’ve witnessed the power of the arts in the work we do with cancer patients, and I strongly believe that the work that Social Art and Culture has done with Diabetes in Color is a gamechanger,” said Lisa Simms Booth.
World Diabetes Day Roundtable panelists include: JaVe Bonner, Founder of GeneHouse; Dr. Daemon Jones, Founder/Naturopath, Healthy Daes; Dr. Stephen B. Thomas, Professor, University of Maryland, Health Policy and Management and Director, Maryland Center for Health Equity; and Scott Perry, a Washington, DC native and resident living with T2D. By shifting conversations away from clinical statistics alone and integrating lived experiences, this panel will highlight how arts-based and community-driven practices can reduce stigma, strengthen connections, and contribute to long-term wellness.

Event Details: Artivists for Health: World Diabetes Day Roundtable Discussion
Saturday, November 14, 2026
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 pm (Doors open at 12 p.m)
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library, Room 401-A
901 G St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Free but RSVP Required (Limited Seating)
https://bit.ly/afhwdd26

Social Art and Culture launched an art-based health prescription pilot in Spring 2026 entitled Diabetes in Color (DIC). DIC focuses on improving Type 2 diabetes outcomes in communities of color; the panel discussion features medical experts as well as an individual living with Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes in Color is a signature project of Social Art and Culture’s Artivists for Health (AFH) program, which integrates artistic expression and social prescribing into public health education, awareness, and disease management, with programming geared toward residents of Wards 5, 7, and 8. DIC addresses the increased number of those living with Type 2 diabetes in Washington, D.C., where non-Hispanic Black adults show significantly higher rates than the general population.

Social Art and Culture
Founded in 2009 as a 501(c)(3), Social Art and Culture proudly resides in Southeast Washington, D.C. ‘s Historic Anacostia Arts and Culture District. Using the power of the arts to educate and advance marginalized and underserved communities, we strive to lead the new narrative around how we invest in the creative economy—a new, economically sustainable framework that invests in artisans and its culture. This framework continues to build our aperture for socially responsible artisans and artivists, where we collaboratively showcase their works’ impact through exhibitions, media arts, fellowships, and curated experiences.

Chameka Ponder, Arts Program Manager
Social Art and Culture
artivism@socialartandculture.info

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