Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha/Photo courtesy of Black Enterprise
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. is helping Black women stay on top of their health. The organization partnered with the Kansas City Health Department to offer free 3D mammograms and breast cancer screenings to women in the area.
Citing the catastrophic impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on African-American communities, third district city council and Alpha Kappa Alpha member Melissa Robinson, noted that Black women have higher rates of breast cancer nationwide.
“African-American women are two and a half times more likely to have breast cancer in comparison to other women,” said Robinson.
According to data compiled by the American Cancer Society, Black women have about an equal incidence of breast cancer to that of white women. However, Black women have a 40 percent higher death rate from breast cancer than white women. This is due in part to a lack of health resources like insurance that makes early detection possible. The AKAs are trying to change that by offering early detection options.
The mobile mammogram unit was open to women aged 40 and up who had not undergone a breast exam in the last year and had no health insurance. COVID-19 vaccines and other cancer screenings were also offered.
The oldest Black sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. has a mission to accomplish 100,000 breast cancer screenings by the year 2022. The organization has planned to take the mobile detection unit to other locations by partnering with local clinics, hospitals, and other health centers in rural areas.
“Alpha Kappa Alpha will own a digital AKA Mobile Breast Cancer Screening Unit that will travel to various locations and provide mammogram screening,” the organization’s website says
. The move is a part of its women’s healthcare and wellness initiative.Due to systemic racism that often causes economic disparities, Black communities are forced to take their health into their own hands. Alpha Kappa Alpha is doing just that.