“Survivor Gene”: Navigating Survivorship and the Strong Black Woman among African-American Breast Cancer Survivors in Los Angeles, California

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/8623hz184

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate how African-American women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer living in Los Angeles County perceive breast cancer survivorship in relation to their personal lives and the broader community of breast cancer survivors. Looking closer at their perspectives, a larger analysis and critique of the United States’ campaign for breast health promotion will be made. This project explores how the national breast cancer culture may unwittingly exclude the stories and needs of African-American survivors. While the breast cancer activism movement has changed the way Americans have responded to breast cancer survivors and more philanthropic actions have been taken to support breast cancer awareness, the fact remains that African-American women have the highest breast cancer mortality rate in the United States. For this study, 14 black female breast cancer survivors and 6 survivor supporters from the Southern California region were interviewed. Through an ethnographic lens and secondary quantitative data, this research highlights the importance of survivors’ voices as contributors to the larger discussion of how to ameliorate the disparities in breast health among African-American women.

Creator