I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 38. I remember the day I was diagnosed as if it were yesterday because it was the day before I entered my 39th year of life. Life prior to the diagnosis was busy. I was busy being a doctoral student, the director of a program, a daughter, a sister, a granddaughter, a cousin, niece, aunt and friend. I was busy planning my 39th birthday! I was so busy, I debated going to the doctor the day the lump in my breast was found. I was busy living a life in which flashed before my eyes on November 7, 2018…the day I was diagnosed and the day my life forever changed.

“God gave me purpose on November 7, 2018.”

Fast forward to, January 11, 2021. After 2 surgeries, numerous rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, I’m left with the daunting challenge of facing what seems to be inevitable. Effectively addressing the concern of deaths caused by breast cancer in the African American community. Prior to my diagnosis of breast cancer, I was not aware African American women are dying from breast cancer at greater numbers than other ethnicities (Allicock et al., 2013). As an African American clinical psychology doctoral student, I encourage psychological professionals to take on the role of understanding why this is so and the impact psychology has on this alarming truth in the name of social change.  Psychologists have the unique responsibility of not only evaluating the information retrieved from their patients, but developing an understanding of societal concerns and the impact of social change movements in regards to their patients (Subašić et al., 2012). Social change movements evolve from societal concerns in need of transformation through education and awareness (SPSSI, n.d.).

In the United States, women between the ages of 45-64 are predominantly diagnosed with breast cancer and the year 2020 will conclude with approximately 276,480 new cases of breast cancer.  In the analysis of the before mentioned data, 200,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer (Davis et al., 2013) annually, which breaks down to approximately one in eight women will develop breast cancer (American Cancer Society, 2020).Breast cancer is considered the most diagnosed cancer of women and second to skin cancer, breast cancer is the next most cancerous cause of death (Allicock et al., 2013).

The mortality rate and overall health outcome of African American women diagnosed with breast cancer was determined by research to be of great concern, for the survival rate of African American women diagnosed with breast cancer is less than other ethnicities (Whitehead & Hearn, 2014). Although there is a lower incidence rate amongst African American women, African American women are approximately 41% more likely to die from breast cancer in comparison to Caucasian women (Whitehead & Hearn, 2014).