Black Women are Dying and Surviving Breast Cancer

Fern Gillespie
The death of actress Erica Ash, 46, from breast cancer this summer sent shockwaves through the sisterhood of Hollywood’s creative Black community. She was a popular performer who could turn from outrageous comedy to serious drama. Whether she was in the ensembles “MADtv” and “Black Lady Sketch Show” or Kevin Hart’s loud wife in BET’s “Real Husbands of Hollywood” or a mom in the TV supernatural “Legacies,” Ash stood out. However, her most famous role was in STARZ’s comedy “Survivor’s Remorse,” as big sister Mary Charles (M Chuck) which weaved between outrageously hilarious and drama queen that it earned her a NAACP Image Award nomination.

While living with the cancer, Ash continued to work. In 2020, she went public about her fight with metastatic breast cancer and appeared on journalist Jemele Hill’s “Unbothered” podcast. “I’ve beaten cancer twice. The first time was 2b, the second time was stage 4, and I was trying to decide if I would talk about this…because I haven’t before,” she said. “But I feel like I should because Black women don’t talk about it, and we need to share our journeys. It was probably the toughest journey for me, but it made me realize the depth of my power. I don’t even know the depth of my power.”

According to the American Cancer Society, although fewer Black women are being diagnosed with breast cancer than White women, Black women are 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than White women.

For young Black women under 50, like Ash, there is a higher incidence of aggressive cancers that result in double the mortality rate of young White women. Black women are disproportionately affected by more aggressive breast cancer subtypes, such as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and inflammatory breast cancer. These are likely to be diagnosed at younger ages and at more advanced stages of the disease.

In September 2024, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, researchers found Black women are at higher risk of dying from all tumor subtypes of breast cancer. The research used data from 18 studies that were published between 2009 and 2022, analyzing a total of almost breast cancer cases, which included 34,000 Black women. It showed that Black women’s risk of death varies from 17 percent to 50 percent higher depending on the type of breast cancer, which underscores the ongoing racial disparities in healthcare.

The American Cancer Society has launched the VOICES of Black Women study, the largest behavioral ​and environmental focused population study of cancer risk and outcomes in Black women in the United States. Black women between the ages of 25 and 55 from diverse backgrounds and income levels who have not ​been diagnosed with cancer.

Enrolled participants will provide informed consent and, over the span of 30 ​years, answer behavioral, environmental, and lived experience questions through periodic short surveys delivered via a secure online portal. No medication, clinical testing, treatment, or lifestyle ​changes are part of the study. The organization aims to enroll over 100,000 Black women. Results will be used to improve the ​overall health of Black women for generations to come.

In November, Howard University’s former president, Dr. Wayne Frederick, MD, MBA, will take the helm as interim CEO of the American Cancer Society. Dr. Frederick, who also served as a notable oncologist at Howard University Hospital, was mentored by Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall Jr, who became the American Cancer Society’s first African American president in 1978.

“We’re definitely making inroads, but we’ve always known this would be a slow process. Recruiting 100,000 Black women will take time and support of stakeholders in and outside of this community,” Natasha Coleman, Vice President of Community Impact at the American Cancer Society, told Our Time Press.

Erica Ash joins a sad litany of Black women who are our mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins and friends who have been lost to breast cancer. There is legendary actress and singer Diahann Carroll, who passed away at 84 had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997, but died in 2019. Iconic singer, composer and activist Nina Simon died in 2003 after suffering from breast cancer. Actress Alaina Reed-Hall, known for Sesame Street and sitcom 227 who died in 2009.

Singer-songwriter Syreeta Wright known for her collaboration with her ex-husband Stevie Wonder who died 2004 from breast cancer complications. Minnie Ripperton, singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single “Lovin’ You, was one of the first celebrities to go public with a breast cancer diagnosis and became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society died of breast cancer in1979 at the age of 31.

High profile breast cancer survivors continue to inspire by speaking out about early detection and living their best lives. There’s “Good Morning America” host Robin Roberts, who was diagnosed in 2007 by self examination. Comedian Wanda Sykes had had type 0 breast cancer and decided to get a double mastectomy. Vanessa Bell Calloway also had stage 0 breast cancer and had a mastectomy and breast reconstruction. “Today Show’s Hoda Kotb was diagnosed in 2007 when doctors discovered several lumps. Ananda Lewis from BET was diagnosed at stage 3 breast cancer in 2020. Dr. Jacqueline Walters, an OBGYN in Atlanta and star of “Married to Medicine” is a two-time breast cancer survivor.

Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn celebrates its breast cancer patients each October with the Survivor Awards. The program is a luncheon honoring the survivors. Each woman is pampered with a facial, spa products, and massages. Brooklyn’s Green Spa, whose owner is a breast cancer survivor, created a product line for those undergoing chemotherapy. Brookdale hosts a monthly support group for survivors every third Thursday, allowing them to share their experiences, receive advice, and access valuable resources.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but women are encouraged be to talk with their doctors, have self exams and mammograms throughout the year. For more information on The American Cancer Society’s VOICES of Black Women study, visit www.voices.cancer.org