Editorial
opinions/editorials
No Excuses for Avoiding Breast Cancer Screening
Natalie Williams, the former spokesperson and advisor to Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry, may be best known for her run against her former boss in the recent Ward 8 city council race. Williams lost, but along the way she garnered immense respect for her public relations mastery and resourcefulness that resulted in the successful campaign of Ward 8 School Board Member Trayon White, and most recently for his challenger Philip Pannell in the upcoming school board race. But now Williams is facing another battle. Diagnosed with breast cancer just over six weeks ago, ministers, family members and friends prayed and gathered around her as she entered George Washington University Hospital on Tuesday [as this editorial was being written] where she underwent a double mastectomy. There are certainly emotional and psychological reasons why Williams launched a public relations campaign about her discovery once she decided to go public with the news. At 41, she represents the growing number of young African-American women under 45 with an incidence of breast cancer higher than white women. The Black Women’s Health Imperative reports that the disparity rates related to breast cancer among African-American women are alarming. Although the overall lifetime risk of breast cancer is lower for black women compared with white women, the death rates are higher. It is important to note that black women also have a lower 5-year survival rate at 77 percent compared to that of 90 percent for white women. The Black Women’s Health Imperative also reports that breast cancer tends to appear in black women at a younger age and in more advanced forms. In fact, black women are two times more likely to develop triple negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease which has fewer effective treatment options. Triple-negative breast cancers tend to grow and spread more quickly than most other types of breast cancer. Black women are also known to have denser breasts, one of the strongest predictors of risk for breast cancer and also is a known factor limiting the sensitivity of a screening mammogram. Until recently, Williams was not aware of her breast cancer risks. With no known family history and a work schedule that precluded her from attending two scheduled mammogram appointments, Williams just dismissed the test as a priority. She was urged by her mother to get screened and the news completely caught her off guard. During October recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Williams finds herself joining the ranks of those 26,840 African-American women, reported by the American Cancer Society, who were diagnosed with breast cancer last year. They will be joined by thousands more grandmothers, mothers and daughters, friends and men who will be treated for breast cancer this year. In the District, access to health care is not a barrier to being screened for breast cancer. Area hospitals including Howard University and George Washington University [GWU] provide free mammogram screenings. Also, the GWU-sponsored Mammovan circulates throughout the metropolitan area providing free screenings regardless of one’s ability to pay. Until a vaccine or pill is created to prevent breast cancer, the most effective way to battle the disease is early detection. Schedule an appointment today, and keep it.
New Ballou SHS on Board The New Ballou Senior High School video unveiled to the public last Friday, Sept. 28 in the school’s cafeteria in Southeast seems more like a Disney film promotion than a preview of the plans for the new public high school and the educational services it will provide. Yet, the construction plans are impressive, to say the least, for a project that is long overdue. The Ward 8 community has been patient while waiting for this moment to realize that a new school building will be built rather than the renovation of the 50-year old facility. Construction is slated to begin this November following the end of the Ballou Knight’s football season. Students will remain in the old facility while the new building is erected on the site of the current football field. The $120 million structure is slated for completion by July 2014. But residents are wondering what the New Ballou will offer those students who tend to fall below average on citywide reading and math test scores. The new Ballou and the modernization of dozens of other D.C. schools was the vision of former D.C. Schools Superintendent Clifford Janey, who was ousted by Mayor Fenty and replaced by Michelle Rhee. Janey believed, as does D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson, that environment can have a positive impact on student performance. Now that the New Ballou is finally on board, we shall see.
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Don’t Be Deterred, Vote!
Barrington Salmon’s frontpage article “Panelist Decry GOP Voter Suppression Efforts,” September 27, 2012 was one of the most important pieces of political news I’ve read in the Informer so far this election year. This story shows just how fragile our so-called democracy is. Voting is the basis of this political system, and to be able to change the rules just because you don’t like the outcome of an election is very dangerous, and should be looked at as being outright treason. You will find those who believe in this outrageous activity as being fair and just, and they are the very ones who will stand before the world and wave the American flag and say, “the whole world should be free like us.” It’s hypocrisy and they don’t care. To them, it’s all about power and they want it at any price. So we must do as the article says: whatever it takes to vote. Too many people sacrificed their lives for us to be able to vote. We
must not let anybody or anything deter us from voting! Sherry Boston Arlington, Va.
Worth More than Words
What Do You Think? We’d Like To Know. E-mail Us:
The photographs in this week’s Informer were “simply stunning.” Let me first start with the front-page photograph by Shevry Lassiter of President Barack Obama and Sen. Mark Warner. That was downright inspiring. I just loved the CTM photos on the inside cover. They show a wide range of subjects by your photographers, Roy Lewis, Lafayette Barnes and Khalid NajiAllah. The photos of the fashion show by Roy Lewis were my favorites. I wanted to see more of those beautiful models in the paper. Keep doing what you’re doing, Washington Informer. Our city needs you.
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Lawrence Johnson Washington, D.C.
Readers' Mailbox
The Washington Informer welcomes letters to the editor about articles we publish or issues affecting the community. Write to: lsaxton@washingtoninformer.com or send to: 3117 Martin Luther King Jr Ave., SE, Washington, D.C. 20032. Please note that we are unable to publish letters that do not include a full name, address and phone number. We look forward to hearing from you. The Washington Informer
Oct. 4, 2012 - Oct. 10, 2012
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