 Me and My Husband Visiting Black Wall Street (Summer 2020) As a Black Oklahoma native, the commemoration and recognition of the Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial have brought back so many memories. Several articles and recent media coverage have highlighted the events in 1921 and the impact on present-day Tulsa. Not only has this tragedy remained absent from our history books, but also the thriving Black communities that populated the Oklahoma landscape.
Are there Black People in Oklahoma? I remember it like it was yesterday. In 2015, I attended the Black Engineer of the Year Awards Conference in Baltimore, MD, with my fellow classmates in the Minority Engineering Program (MEP) from the University of Oklahoma. As a college sophomore, it was my first time attending this conference and the furthest East I had ever traveled. I joined a fellow classmate at the career fair, and we ended up visiting a few graduate school booths and met my future husband. He was filling in for a representative from his school, an HBCU, and quite flirtatious. He asked me where we were from, and with a country accent, I told him that we were from the University of Oklahoma. He was shocked by my accent and responded that he didn't know that there were Black people in Oklahoma. With pride, I shared that there were Black people in Oklahoma, and in fact, it had the most towns founded by Black people in America. To this day, I still meet people who are shocked to learn that I'm a native Oklahoman. Thinking back to the content taught in my Oklahoma History class, you wouldn't know many Black people existed in Oklahoma and had established thriving communities. We learned a ton about the Oklahoma Land Run, the Five Civilized Tribes, and outlaws. If there was anything discussed in Oklahoma history about Black people, it was only a brief mention. Learning About Black Wall Street I recall somehow finding out that Oklahoma had the most towns founded by Black people. Still, I didn't learn about the existence of Black Wall Street in Tulsa until I was in my late teens or an early adult. I was at an event, and there was a booth with an older Black gentleman selling books about Black Wall Street. I recall asking a more senior family member about it, and he confirmed that it did indeed exist. Another thriving Black center in Oklahoma was in Muskogee, OK, where my family has origins. My parents share fond memories of their upbringing in Muskogee. Like Tulsa, it had a very sizeable and well-established Black community. Established in the Indian Territory, before Oklahoma became a state, there was a great sense of pride in the Black community, including several Black businesses, schools, doctors, and a Black hospital. Many studies have shown that "Black patients treated by Black doctors fare better." Racial Trauma Drives Stress and Illness As a young adult survivor of stage 3 inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), I discovered how disparities impact the Black community. That "Your body teaches itself to stay in that fight or flight mode," said Dr. Jennifer Hays-Grudo, "and you see the rates of cancer, heart attacks, strokes" go up. That fight or flight mode is very much in play when constantly faced with microaggression and racism, which takes a toll on our mental health. Having doctors who understand these underlying conditions can help address these underlying conditions that lead to the disparities. Like Tulsa, many communities of color have a health gap that is driven by stark inequities. The details of the inequities in Tulsa can almost be an exact duplicate of other Black communities in America. This weekend makes me wonder how different our lives would be if events like the massacre had not occurred or families obtaining reparations for what they had lost. The impact has crossed many generations and communities across Oklahoma, driving the wealth gap and health disparities that we continue to see to this very day.
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 Photo by Morgan Petroski on Unsplash The pandemic opened the eyes to many Americans about underlying health disparities that have resulted in a significant number of minorities dying from complications due to COVID-19. Why were so many Americans unaware of these disparities? April is National Minority Health Month, and the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) shares how the purpose of this month is to do the following;
This year's theme is Vaccine Ready to increase vaccine acceptance within the minority community. The hashtags that are being used with this campaign are #VaccineReady and #NMHM2021. A quick check on social media and this national campaign is not garnering a lot of attention and reach similar to Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. Here's the reach across social media for these two hashtags as of 4/25/21;
Sadly enough, it wasn't until after my cancer fight that I focused attention on the cancer disparities. My own diagnosis was in 2013, and 11 years after the establishment of National Minority Health Month, I had no awareness of this awareness month and disparities. I wonder if prior knowledge of this subject would have altered how I approached my health before my cancer diagnosis. There has to be a push to increase the promotion of National Minority Health Month. The pandemic has already provided immediate justification for the increased amount of focus on this topic. Now, funding to support this awareness must follow.  Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash ** This post includes affiliate links** Introduction One of the most famous cancer patients in modern history was a Black woman named Henrietta Lacks. She is considered the Mother of Modern Medicine because while being treated for cervical cancer at John's Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, her cells were unknowingly retrieved during a biopsy. This wife and mother died in 1951 at the young age of 31. However, it turns out that her cells, called the HeLa Cells, are still alive today and are the basis for many medical miracles that we benefit from. A book about her life called The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks consistently ranks high in a search for Top Cancer Books on Amazon. As the Mother of Modern Medicine, her HeLa cells have been used to solve some of the greatest medical challenges and generate significant medical industry profits. Based on her life, the book is a top cancer book on Amazon and has sold over 2.5 million copies. These are two incredible feats. Unfortunately, the book was not based on her own written words and her family has not received any financial benefit from her HeLa Cells. In a Washington Post article, the oldest son of Henrietta Lacks, Lawrence, said, "The book fails to capture his mother's grace." And that "More and more, she seems not like a wife and mother of five, but "just a cell." Think how compelling it would have been to hear Mrs. Lack's first-hand accounts of her cancer experience in her own printed words. Need Stories of Black Cancer Survival Just after my 38th birthday, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 Inflammatory Breast Cancer. As a young Black woman diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer, I was desperate to find stories about Black women surviving cancer, especially breast cancer. I knew there were so many disparities that Black women faced in our healthcare system and desired an ounce of hope by reading cancer survival stories. In 2019, nearly 34,000 Black women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. More of us are diagnosed at a younger age with more aggressive or late-stage cancer. Where are the stories of survival? If you want to read books from Black women authors who have gone through such a diagnosis, those stories are few and far between. This month we are celebrating Women's History Month. As part of that history, we have to recognize the journey that has been taken by Black women who have conquered breast cancer. Black Books Matter is a term coined by Mahogany books. Representation in books by Black breast cancer survivors gives those of us fighting cancer "a voice to their fears, hopes, wants, and needs." Black women and families need to feel empowered by the stories of others who have gone through this terrible disease. The stories in such books serve as an inspiration to so many of us. Searching for Black Women Breast Cancer Stories After my breast cancer diagnosis in 2013, I was curious to learn about other black women who had successfully battled breast cancer. Still, I wasn't successful in finding any such books back then. I searched Google and Amazon and came up pretty empty. Instead, I mainly found books by white women who had fought breast cancer. I recently began searching to find books written by Black women concerning their breast cancer journey and found the following.
Final Thoughts While there is a movement to elevate Black lives, Black books, and Black-Owned book stores, I hope this movement will make room for Black lives impacted by cancer. Do you have any books to add to this list of Black authors surviving breast cancer? *Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. .In every professional sport, the team owner and manager meet before the draft to identify their weaknesses to identify gaps that need to be filled with the upcoming sports draft. When I was diagnosed with cancer, I was amazed at the support team that I had in place. This network of family members and friends who support us along the way fulfilled various roles. Not too long ago, I came across guidance for building your Career Development Network. It describes key roles that can bring strength to your network; Motivators, Cheerleaders, Straight Shooters, Connectors, Role Models and Brainstormers. Looking back at my team, I can picture in my mind individuals who fulfilled each one of those roles.  My husband served as a key Motivator. He knew what I was capable of and pushed me to not dwell on the fear that I had, but to get energized to get beyond that moment in time. In addition, I did my best to fill my thoughts with inspiring stories of other cancer survivors, to include a book by Lynne Eib, called *50 Days of Hope: Daily Inspiration for Your Journey Through Cancer. I swear by this book and how it lifted my spirits after reading just a few short stories.
I found a great Connector in a complete stranger, who I was introduced to by an administrator at my children’s school. She had also been diagnosed with the same rare cancer and definitely help to connect me with other like individuals and key resources that I would have otherwise been oblivious to me. Role Models for me came in the form of other women who had been diagnosed with the same rare and aggressive form of cancer. One such role model led a non-profit that she created to increase awareness in quickly detecting this from of cancer for both cancer patients and medical practitioners. It is this willingness to share her experiences with others that I seek to emulate. I found several Cheerleaders through friends and church members, who were confident that good news would be forthcoming in my cancer journey. One close friend who encouraging letters to me throughout treatment, local food delivery and gift cards regularly dropped off at our home, a group of nuns in Texas that prayed for me daily and church members prayed over me and my family each week after service. Both of my parents were Straight Shooters. They love me, but don’t mince words. They have always been lovingly honest and direct with their approach and being diagnosed with cancer didn’t change things. I can recall my mom having an honest conversation with me about how she had traveled to stay with us for an extended period of time to help out our family during this time. What was I doing? I was still trying to be a superwoman, going to chemo, cooking and cleaning and trying to maintain some normalcy. My mom did what a mom does, pulled me to the side and told me to “STOP” trying to be superwoman. She told me that my TOP PRIORITY right now was to get treatment and keep my body strong enough to continue treatment. I found the Brainstormers in my support team to be other cancer survivors in both my in-person and online cancer support groups. These were the people who were able to help me solve a challenge that I was having or brainstorm ways to solve the challenge. I also counted by oncologists as brainstormers. With a diagnosis of a rare and aggressive cancer, I was aggressive in my questioning of the treatment plan while in active treatment and years following recovery to prevent recurrence. Both groups offered to listen to my questions and suggestions and worked with me as a team to get to a resolution. I appreciate them for their willingness to go beyond the limits. When building you’re “A” Team, you should have a variety of people that can help you in differing and difficult situations. Looking at your network today, do you have the people in your network who can fulfill these vital roles for you? *Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. 
Photo by Hush Naidoo on Unsplash
During this pandemic, the unemployment rate for African-Americans has reached nearly 20% in March. With this group having the highest proportion holding low-wage jobs, this statistic can have a devastating impact on health outcomes. In 2017, nearly 10% of African Americans were uninsured, the numbers are likely to climb during this pandemic. A new study, shows that disruptions in health insurance coverage can have a devastating impact on cancer care and outcomes. African-Americans already have the highest rates of cancer incidents than any other racial group.
Due to a lack of coverage, uninsured have lower cancer screenings and critical delays in treatment result in poor cancer outcomes that disproportionately impact African-Americans. Sara Collins provides options to secure health insurance for unemployed. This insurance coverage can be secured if you are laid off or face another type of employment disruption due to COVID-19, to include COBRA, the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid. Some states have even opened special enrollment periods. 
Credit for Photo: engin akyurt
​When I first heard about the novel coronavirus, as a 7-year cancer survivor, I wondered if I fell into the category of people who had a higher risk of contracting the virus, due to a compromised immune system. My first thought was that I should not be at risk since it had been a few years since my last surgery and almost 7-years since undergoing chemotherapy. Back then I knew that my immune system was compromised, and my oncologist said to use caution and steer away from large crowds and that included my church. When I attended church, I was supposed to sit as far away from other church members as possible and if I could not do that, I was supposed to wear a mask. At the time, my preference was to sit as far away from others as possible, because I could not bear the idea of wearing a mask as it would be embarrassing to draw attention to myself and have to answer questions about why I was wearing a mask. My how things have changed in this time of COVID-19. Now I am unashamed to wear a mask to the grocery store, walk our dog around the neighborhood and watching church services online from the comfort of my home. ​Still, this fear lingered as whether I had a compromised immune system seven years out from chemo treatments? I searched the internet and came across a posting from the Cancer.Net website that provided a lot more information than what I could find on the CDC website. I was extremely interested in the response to a posted question, “Does a history of cancer raise your risk for health complications from COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2)?†In summary and their response, “It appears that patients with cancer and survivors of cancer may be at higher risk of health complications from COVID-19.†Here I've been walking around thinking that my cancer treatment had been so long ago, that I didn’t have a compromised immune system. Knowing this information certainly changes my perspective and makes me more aware about ensuring the safety me and my family. This also serves as a reminder that I need to update my cancer survivorship care plan with possible links to reputable cancer website that I can turn to for medical advice should future outbreaks occur. |
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