Komen CSNJ Supports Empowering “Know Your Girls™” Campaign
The national campaign aims to educate black women about their breast cancer risk to address disparities
Black women in the U.S. are 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women. In New Jersey, black women are 32 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women.
To address this unacceptable disparity, Susan G. Komen®, the world’s leading breast cancer organization, and the Ad Council, the nation’s foremost producer of public service communications, launched Know Your Girls, a national campaign to educate and inspire black women to understand their risk for breast cancer and take charge of their breast health. Komen CSNJ is proud to lend its support to the campaign, which empowers black women, ages 30–55 years old, to treat their breasts with the same attentiveness and understanding they share with the women in their lives.
The campaign includes TV, radio, print, out-of-home and digital PSAs which direct women to KnowYourGirls.org. The comprehensive website features resources that help women navigate breast cancer risk factors, recognize changes in their own breasts, and prepare to have a conversation with a doctor. Many of the resources are shared from the perspectives of real women who have chosen to learn about their breast health, experienced breast cancer first-hand, or supported a friend who was navigating the disease.
Watch the video above featuring Shyrea Thompson, Susan G. Komen’s Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives and breast cancer survivor Dr. Lori Wilson. These two discuss breast cancer and black women’s health, and the Know Your Girls campaign.
The Know Your Girls campaign will help Susan G. Komen work to achieve their Bold Goal to reduce the current 40,000 annual breast cancer deaths by 50 percent in the U.S. by 2026. Closing the gap in health disparities is crucial to achieving the Bold Goal.
“As a breast cancer survivor who lost her mother to breast cancer, I understand all too well the pain and heartbreak of this disease,” said Paula Schneider, President and CEO of Susan G. Komen. “We hope this campaign empowers black women to learn about breast cancer risk and the resources available to take action.”
Through their African American Health Equity Initiative, Komen is already working to reduce the mortality gap between black women and white women by 25 percent, focusing first on the 10 cities where mortality rates and late-stage diagnosis of black women are highest. In some cities, the disparity in breast cancer mortality rate between black and white women is as high as 74%.
Komen CSNJ is supporting the national Know Your Girls campaign, Health Equity Initiative and working to make a local impact through its Community Grants Program, funding ten local organizations that help break down barriers to breast cancer care through free mammograms, transportation services, translation services, patient navigation and breast cancer education.
To learn more about the campaign, visit KnowYourGirls.org or join the conversation using #KnowYourGirls on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For more information about Komen CSNJ, go to komencsnj.org.
