(Black PR Wire) Los Angeles, CA– On World Cancer Day (WCD), the Circle of Promise California Initiative will launch the “Rewrite Our Story Campaign” and in honor of Black History Month. On February 4, the Initiative will invite its community of African American women to participate in the global WCD celebration and join the effort to spread the message of “We can. I can. Make the Promise” to take action to be proactive about their breast health by adopting the 4 core health messages – 1) Know Your Risk; 2) Get Screened; 3) Know What is Normal for You; and 4) Live a Healthy Lifestyle. This effort strives to promote early detection, increase the survival rate, and change the outcome of what happens to African American women diagnosed with breast cancer, hence “rewriting our story”.

The Campaign builds upon the messaging of WCD and encourages African American women to “make the promise” to be proactive about their breast health and encourage 10 women in the circle to do the same. Those 10 women will get 10 women in their circle to do the same, and so on.

The “Rewrite Our Story Campaign” is a social media initiative, and all women can join the campaign by visiting the Circle of Promise California Initiative’s Facebook page on February 4. The campaign engages women to Take Action by doing the following:

1) Print out the “Promise Pledge” from the Circle of Promise California website
2) Write a personal message about what you will do in your promise to “rewrite our story" on the back side of the pledge.
3) Take a photo of you with your pledge and your promise message and post it on your social media pages.
4) Tag Circle of Promise California in your social media post
5) Join the Circle and invite your friends to do the same.

This campaign will engage African American women in the fight against breast cancer, increase breast health self-awareness, breast cancer screening behavior, and promote the importance of early detection so that we can change the outcome and prevent African American women from dying unnecessarily from breast cancer. Currently, the breast cancer survival rate for African American women is 41% lower their Caucasian counterparts. The campaign also aims to encourage and empower African American women to overcome their fear associated with mammograms, know their risk factors, and to feel safe talking about breast cancer and breast health among themselves, their families, and within their communities.

For more information, please visit www.CaliforniaCircleofPromise.org
Follow the Circle of Promise California Initiative: Facebook | Twitter
Follow Susan G. Komen: Facebook | Twitter

About Susan G. Komen:
Every year, the seven California Affiliates* of Susan G. Komen fund vital breast health services for women and men across the state. This year the Affiliates will invest more than $5.5 million in 110 grants in communities across the State. Seventy-five percent of every dollar raised by Komen in California funds local breast health outreach, education, diagnostic and treatment services for uninsured and underserved women. The remaining 25 percent goes to the Komen Research and Training Grants Program, the largest funder of breast cancer research in the world, after the U.S. government.

About Circle of Promise
Circle of Promise is a statewide initiative to addresses breast cancer disparities at the system, community, and individual levels, specifically targeting African American women, 40 and above, who are rarely or never screened, low-income, uninsured or recipients of Medi-Cal, in order to provide access to breast health care services and quality health care. The goal of the Initiative is to empower African American women with the knowledge and resources to enter and seamlessly move through a quality, culturally competent and coordinated system of breast health care. The Initiative, launched by the seven California affiliates of Susan G. Komen, is funded in part by a grant from Anthem Blue Cross Foundation, L.L.C.

* Susan G. Komen Los Angeles County Sacramento Valley Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure Susan G. Komen San Francisco Bay Area Affiliate Susan G. Komen Inland Empire Susan G. Komen San Diego Susan G. Komen Orange County Susan G. Komen Central Valley