Roadmaps of Resistence - Motorist - Greenbook Safe Spaces and Modern-Day Subjective Cognitive Decline

Sep 29, 2026

Study examines whether historic Greenbook safe spaces for Black individuals under Jim Crow relate to modern-day subjective cognitive decline (SCD) across U.S. states. State-level counts of 1948 Greenbook sites were converted into site-density quartiles and linked with CDC BRFSS 2015–2016 single-item SCD reports for 21,378 adults aged over 45. Adjusting for income, education, and age, living near fewer sites related to higher SCD, with women racialized as Black showing the highest odds.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 1253 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.4187 ROADMAPS OF RESISTANCE: MOTORIST GREENBOOK SAFE SPACES AND MODERN-DAY SUBJECTIVE COGNITIVE DECLINE Jamila Rodriguez1, Sydney Moseley2, Pedro Pinheiro-Chagas2, Muriel Taks Calle3, Paris Adkins-Jackson3, and Tanisha Hill-Jarrett4, 1. Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 2. University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States, 3. Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York, United States, 4. University of California Memory and Aging Center, San Francisco, California, United States Introduction: The Greenbook is a historic list of safe spaces for individuals racialized as Black living in the U.S. under Jim Crow. The literature on structural racism and poorer cognitive aging across generations suggests the presence of safe spaces (i.e., structural resilience) may mitigate contemporary disparities in cognitive aging, like subjective cognitive decline (SCD) . This study examines the state-level association between Greenbook sites and SCD. Methods: The state-level sum of 1948 Greenbook sites was transformed into quartiles representing sites per square mile (Q1=fewer sites/sq/mi; Q4 = most sites/sq/mi) . These data were linked with state-level data from a single-item reporting SCD from 2015/2016 CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) for a sample of older adults (N = 21,378, aged>45) . We compared participants across racialized groups 1254 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 and gender living in states with fewer Greenbook sites (Q1,Q2,Q3) to those living in states with more sites (Q4) on modern-day SCD (adjusting for income, degree attainment, and age) . Results: Accounting for covariates, women racialized as Black had the highest odds of reporting SCD (OR: 1.26, 95% C.I. 1.11-1.44) compared to men racialized as White. Across all participants except men racialized as Black, living in states with the fewest Greenbook sites per square mile compared to those in states with the highest associated with modern-day SCD. Discussion: Living near fewer Greenbook sites is associated with present-day SCD among older adults. This suggests historic safe spaces served as protective factors against SCD. The Greenbook is a refuge from historic structural harms that shape health inequities today.

FAQs

What is the Greenbook, and why is it important for cognitive aging?

The Greenbook is a historic list of safe spaces for individuals racialized as Black living in the U.S. under Jim Crow. The study frames safe spaces as structural resilience that may reduce disparities in cognitive aging, including SCD.

How were Greenbook sites and SCD data combined in the study?

The study converted the state-level sum of 1948 Greenbook sites into quartiles based on sites per square mile. These were linked with state-level SCD data from the 2015/2016 CDC BRFSS single-item reporting for older adults.

What main association did the results find between Greenbook site density and SCD?

After adjusting for covariates, living in states with the fewest Greenbook sites per square mile was associated with higher odds of reporting modern-day SCD for most racialized and gender groups, except men racialized as Black.

What protective explanation does the discussion offer?

The discussion suggests historic safe spaces functioned as protective factors against SCD, acting as a refuge from structural harms that continue to shape health inequities.

Sep 29, 2026

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