Raising Awareness To Stop A Silent Killer
Franklin, Ivey Team To Help County Curb Cancer
Story And Photography By Raoul Dennis
Breast cancer doesn’t take a day off in destroying lives and leaving families forever incomplete.
For that and other reasons, At-Large County Councilmember Mel Franklin and Democratic congressional nominee Glenn Ivey teamed together on Indigenous Peoples Day to host an event aimed at raising money and awareness in the fight against breast cancer.
Both men have had experiences with the disease: Ivey is a survivor and Franklin lost his mother to cancer.
“Everyone has been touched by cancer,” Franklin says. “In one way or another, directly or indirectly, everyone has been affected by cancer.”
The event, “Mel’s Cancer Awareness Reception,” was hosted at Olde Towne Inn in Upper Marlboro on Oct. 10 where Del. Darryl Barnes served as emcee. The occasion also served as an opportunity to raise money for Thanksgiving meals for families of six.
“I want to lend my voice, I want to lend my office and I want all of us to make a statement about how important breast cancer awareness is,” Barnes said. “Not only for women but also for men.”
Cancer is the second biggest killer of county residents, according to the leaders of the event. Black men in the county lead the state and nation in per capita deaths related to prostate and colon cancer.
“Breast cancer is ravaging many communities – especially African American communities,” said Ivey as he was introduced by Barnes. “We have to do everything we can to step up and address it.”
“I had cancer. They caught it in stage one,” he continued. “But breast cancer is one that doesn’t get caught all the time. And when it comes up at stage four, you’ve got a problem. We just lost David Harrington. He had stage four cancer. He died before I even knew he was sick. So this is no joke. We really appreciate the fact that you came out tonight.”
In a brief post-event interview with Prince George’s Suite, Franklin expressed the need to push back against the stigmas and fears and to push for a call to action.
“It's one of those issues where it just feels like a lot of progress hasn't really been made. Many folks are still dying from it. It really comes down to how do we, in the Black community, where we have stigmas against healthcare and challenges for people having access to quality healthcare, people feeling as if, ‘Oh, it's another expense. I don't feel like there's anything wrong, so there's nothing wrong.’ We have to get beyond that.”
Both men acknowledged the stigma that black men have against regular checkups that include prostate and colon cancer screenings.
“That is a stigma that we have to overcome because if we don’t we are going to continue to die in numbers that are extraordinary. We need to carry this message back to our family and loved ones. Get into their business a little bit.”
Top organizers and sponsors included Kappstone Media, Courvoisier, TIS Foundation, TJC, Inc., Premier Auto Imports and Olde Towne Inn. Music was provided by DJ Thrill.
