‘Know Your Girls’ Campaign Starts to Make a Difference

African American women are 40% more likely to die from breast cancer than their Caucasian counterparts. The Susan G. Komen Organization is certainly working diligently through their main focal point of the ‘Know Your Girls’ campaign to reduce that number. With the help of actress and breast cancer survivor, Vanessa Bell Calloway, getting the word out, they hope to see working results in the near future.

Just two years ago Calloway shared her survivor story with Ebony.com. She shared that, thankfully, she caught the disease early on, opting for a Mastectomy and has luckily been Cancer free since. Now that she has conquered her biggest challenge she has now taken on another one. Calloway has now teamed up with with the Susan G. Komen Organization and the Ad Council to launch the ‘Know Your Girls’. “I’m so happy to be a part of this important campaign because as a breast cancer survivor, I understand first hand how important it is to know your girls literally and figurally”, said Calloway.

The campaign is an attempt to decrease the numbers concerning black women. Numbers show that black women in the U.S. are more likely to be diagnosed with Breast Cancer at a younger age, at later stages of the disease, and with more aggressive forms of the disease, which in return limits the options of treatments. “The ‘Know Your Girls’ campaign encourages black women between the ages of 30 to 55 to treat their breasts with the same attentiveness and understanding they share with the women in their lives. The “Know Your Girls” campaign introduces breast cancer education through a celebration of the powerful sisterhood between black women,” said Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council.

The campaign includes TV, radio, print, out-of-home, and digital PSAs which direct women to KnowYourGirls.org. The comprehensive website features easy-to-understand resources that help women navigate breast cancer risk factors, recognize changes in their own breasts, and prepare to have a conversation with a doctor. The campaign also includes brand new social media channels, launched in collaboration with digital marketing agency Good Stuff Digital, that "aim to create an online community where black women can come together to talk honestly and openly about their breast health and show support for their sisters".

The new creative is being distributed to media outlets nationwide and will run in donated time and space per the Ad Council's model. To learn more about the campaign, visit KnowYourGirls.org or join the conversation using #KnowYourGirls on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. View the entire Press Release here.