Like everything else in this hypercapitalist country, even breast cancer awareness has been commodified (there’s even a term for it: pinkwashing). From the uniforms of the NFL to razors, perfume and handbags, October is literally awash in pink. But really, is all this pink posturing helping to bring awareness to women who are at risk for breast cancer, or real resources to those with that diagnosis?
Fortunately, there are those who want to take Breast Cancer Awareness back to the essence—that is, helping women understand their risk for breast and ovarian cancers in a quick and painless way.
Nonprofit Bright Pink knows that knowledge is really half the battle. Though knowing one’s breast cancer risk is important for all women, it’s especially so for African American women, who have a 2x higher risk of aggressive Triple Negative breast tumors and a 42 percent higher risk of dying from breast cancer than non-Hispanic white women.
Bright Pink seeks to advance the conversation beyond awareness to action with the upcoming launch of a new interactive digital experience at AssessYourRisk.org.
Now in its third iteration, Assess Your Risk™ is an easy series of questions that takes about five minutes for women to learn their personal cancer risk. It has so far helped more than one million women learn their risk for breast and ovarian cancer; moreover, after taking the quiz, it presents women with specific action steps once that risk is known.
Lauren Ash, Founder of Black Girl In Om, knows what it is like to have a family member diagnosed with breast cancer. Watch her speak to her experience and how she stands up for her health and honors the body she inherited.
Go ahead, take your health into your hands today, sis.