In recognition of April’s National Minority Cancer Awareness Week (NMCAW), April 19-25, 2025, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center’s Center for Cancer Equity and Engagement collaborated with community organizations to sponsor a variety of cancer awareness events throughout the Greater Boston community during the month of April and beyond.
On April 8, 1987, the U. S. House of Representatives Joint Resolution 119 designated the third week in April as "National Minority Cancer Awareness Week." While cancer affects men and women of every age, race, ethnic background and economic class, the disease has a disproportionately severe impact on minorities and underserved populations in this nation. National Minority Cancer Awareness Week was passed to bring attention to this fact and promote increased awareness of screening, prevention and treatment among those segments of the populations that are at greater risk of developing cancer. The week's emphasis gives physicians, nurses, health care professionals and researchers an opportunity to focus on high-risk populations and to develop creative approaches to battling cancer problems unique to these communities. The American Medical Association and the American Cancer Society both endorsed the resolution as a means of drawing attention to the problem among minorities and the poor.
2025 National Minority Cancer Awareness
Thursday, April 3 – 12pm - Environmental Justice – Tamarra James-Todd, PhD Goldenairres – Freedom House 5 Crawford St
Thursday, April 3 – 6:00pm– Cancer Survivorship Celebration - Faces of Faith – Ciola Bennett, RN – Virtual
Wednesday, April 9 – 11:30am - Heart Health – Karen Burns White - TBC Swingers – Twelfth Baptist Church – 160 Warren Street Heart Health
Friday, April 11 – 9am - Advances in Early Detection and Interception - Catherine Marianc, PhD - Dimock Community Health Center- Virtual
Friday, April 11- 10-12pm – Annual DF/HCC Cancer Disparities Research Symposium – Dr. Rachel Issaka, MD, MAS – Virtual
Saturday, April 12 – 10am - Palliative/Supportive Care – Caroline Cubbison, MD AARP – Franklin Field Chapter - Twelfth Baptist Church 160 Warren Street
Tuesday, April 15 – 9AM - Advances in Screening and Early Detection – Anisa Nabily, Med - Keystone Apartments Coffee Hour – 151 Hallet Street – Dorchester
Monday, April 21 – 10am – Colorectal Cancer - Adjoa Anyane-Yeboa, MD, MPH Seniors on the Move – Roxbury YMCA 285 Martin Luther King Blvd
Thursday, April 24 – 1pm – Early Detection & Multi-Cancer Detection Virtual - Lachelle Weekes, MD, PhD - Mattapan Community Health Center – Virtual