When you tune in to watch these three leaders discuss the issues facing people living with and at risk of breast cancer, you’ll see bold, honest takes on: 

• How pinkwashing has overshadowed and excluded intersectionality 
• Trust and mistrust in medical institutions for BIPOC communities, given a history of harm 
• Epigenetics and the fatigue of “just being Black in America” as a result of racism, being under-resourced, “food apartheid,” and environmental injustices 
• How we talk about data – meaning both the stories of our lived experiences, and who has access to clinical trials and inclusion in the resulting research 
• And the importance of collective ACTION as a strategy for liberation and health justice for all 

Dr. KR looks back on BCAction’s legacy during the dialogue: “Back then [when Breast Cancer Action was founded] it wasn’t specifically named ‘environmental racism’... but we named a lot of injustices. And I think now, in the [current] iteration of Breast Cancer Action, we’re really focusing on those intersections of gender justice, racial justice, environmental justice, and climate justice, and how all of those encompass health justice together.” 

Dr. Monique Gary, breast surgeon and author of Uncovering Inequity in Cancer Care Among the LGBTQ+ Community, reflected on the history of the breast cancer landscape: “I feel like the breast cancer community, historically, had not been as inclusive. I’m a Black, queer, femme-presenting breast surgeon in this space, where there is very little representation. But my [LGBTQ+] patients still don’t have materials that look like them, that speak to them and their support groups.”

The first step in creating solutions to the breast cancer crisis that center and include all communities facing this disease, is naming our experiences. 

Tune in to watch Dr. KR on "The Doctor is In" now.

Together, with allied organizations, partners, and breast cancer activists like you, we are powerful. Thank you for your strength, support, and solidarity as we hone in on the issues impacting people at risk of and living with breast cancer, work to address and end this public health crisis. 

In solidarity, 

Tibby Reas 
Communications Manager