March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance has partnered with several cultural influencers to focus on increasing screening and prevention for what it calls the “preventable cancer.”
Charlamagne tha God, TV and podcast host Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins, director, DJ and designer Vashtie and photographer Mel D. Cole are all part of the “They Didn’t Say” campaign highlighting important facts about the impact of colorectal cancer among the Black community.
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According to statistics from the American Cancer Society, colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men and women combined, and Black Americans are about 20% more likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer and 35% more likely to die from it. Many in the Black community are not getting screened, so the influencer campaign aims to reach those people.
“Too many of us have had friends or family that have been affected by colorectal cancer, so it’s important for me to speak out and help eliminate any embarrassment surrounding colorectal cancer screening,” said media mogul and TV personality Charlamagne tha God in a statement. “Hopefully this campaign will lead to more important conversations, screening and access to resources to help prevent this disease from further affecting our communities.”
To provide actionable resources and educate the community on colorectal cancer, the culturally connected campaign ambassadors are amplifying the conversation through personal testimonials on their social channels.
The campaign was done in collaboration with culture and influencer marketing agency Team Epiphany.
“As a Black American, and someone who has a platform for change, I am committed to reaching our community with this important call to action. There are so many issues facing us that we can’t control. Preventing colon cancer is one thing we can do. We aim to shift the scales on health equity with this campaign,” Coltrane Curtis, founder and managing partner of Team Epiphany said in a statement.