Breast cancer is a disease that has crossed color lines and touched many. Its deadly reach has touched our mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, fathers, brothers, uncles, and close friends. While breast cancer mainly affects white women, it is also very prevalent amongst African American woman and with more devastating outcomes. African American women are twice as more likely to die from the disease than their white counterparts, so to address this concern, the National Cancer Institute has released three videos targeting African American women as part of its campaign for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI):

“…nearly 27,000 African American women are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. And while they are less likely than white women to be diagnosed with breast cancer, they are more likely to die from it than any other race — and more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage.”

Lack of knowledge, healthcare, unequal access to improved treatments, and barriers to early detection and screening are all among the cited causes for the dramatically high rates, but the NCI is hoping that the campaign’s message will bring about increased awareness and encourage women of color to get serious and get tested.

With 39,520 women expected to die from breast cancer this year alone, African American women need to listen up and heed the call. Grab your mother, sister, aunt, or any woman in your life you hold dear, and take them to get tested. It can literally mean the difference between life and death.

For more information, visit the National Cancer Institute for more information.

Please remember to support local and regional breast cancer organizations