"Lupus Doesn’t Discriminate — So Why Does Awareness?"

"Shining a Light on the Overlooked Battle: The Untold Story of African American Men Living with Lupus"

When people talk about lupus, African American men are rarely mentioned. Their stories, pain, and resilience are too often left out of the conversation — and it’s time we changed that.

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect anyone, but African Americans are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop lupus than white individuals. In the United States, an estimated 1.5 million people are living with lupus — and about 43% of them are African American, despite making up just 13.6% of the population.

Yet, African American men with lupus are even more invisible. They face unique challenges, including:

• Higher disease severity

• Later diagnosis

• Fewer support resources

• Underrepresentation in research studies and clinical trials

Many research initiatives fail to adequately include Black men, leading to gaps in data, treatment development, and patient care that could save lives. When African American men are not part of the studies, they are not part of the solutions.

At My Story Living with Lupus, we believe that every voice matters. Every life counts. That’s why we advocate for equity in healthcare, especially for those whose experiences are routinely overlooked.

💜 To the Black men silently fighting lupus: We see you. We believe you. We are fighting alongside you for awareness, inclusion, and change.

It’s time to center Black men's health in the lupus conversation. Not later. Now.