As North Texas prepares to celebrate Juneteenth, Dr. Opal Lee is championing a new cause. The Grandmother of Juneteenth helped lead the movement to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Now, as she approaches her 100th birthday, the breast cancer survivor is using her voice to support a landmark re search effort aimed at improving health outcomes for Black women. Just before Juneteenth, Lee spoke with NBC 5 about why she is turning her attention to health. “You need to be aware to take care of it so that you can pass it on to your children and their children, otherwise we’re going to die out, we’re gonna die out,” Lee said. “And there’s so much that needs to be taught before we do. And we have to be healthy to be able to do it.” While many know Lee as an activist, former educator, children’s book author and Nobel Peace Prize nominee, some may not know she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 73. “I knew I had cancer and I was told early what to do about it and I did,” Lee said. “Know early what to do to help yourself and do that.” Her granddaughter, Promise Roland, said the experience shaped the family. “Knowing that, okay, she went through it and we know that it’s something that can be passed down, early detection is key,” Roland said. “It just shaped the way that the women continue to make sure that we’re getting ourselves checked.” Lee said she continued to live life to the fullest. “Oh girl, if know what full is. I’ve lived a full life,” Lee said. “Children, ooh a house full of them. And I enjoyed them, too.” Now she is supporting the American Cancer Society’s Voices of Black Women study, which seeks to better understand why Black women experience worse outcomes from some cancers. According to researchers, Black women are slightly less likely than white women to develop cancer but die at higher rates. Black women are 38% more likely to die from breast cancer and twice as likely to die from uterine cancer. “The disproportionate amount of Black women dying from these cancers is really something that should be a public health priority,” said Dr. Lauren McCullough, co-lead of the Voices of Black Women study. McCullough said her work is deeply personal. “I lost my dad to cancer,” she said. “It made it my life’s mission to focus on minority health and bring my research and my skills back to the community that I love.” The study aims to enroll 100,000 Black women across the country. So far, about 6,000 have signed up. Researchers acknowledge there can be skepticism rooted in generations of inequities and mistrust. However, they say participation is critical to improving health outcomes. “A lot of our public health interventions, a lot of our medications, our treatments, our guidelines are often based on the majority without thinking about the nuances of the minority,” McCullough said. “And so I really look at Voices within the spectrum of the American Cancer Society studies as just trying to rebalance the scales.” McCullough is encouraging eligible women to participate and be part of the search for interventions that can save lives. “Don’t let fear keep you from making an impact,” she said. The earlier we can begin this work, the sooner we’ll have answers, and the sooner we can begin to make a change.” The study is observational, not a clinical trial. Participants enroll online and answer questions about their health, family history, stress and other behavioral and environmental factors. Mary Tillman-Young, who works for the American Cancer Society and participates in the study, said the experience has sparked important conversations with friends and family. “I lost my mom last year, and then I lost my dad in 2021. And neither of them had been to the doctor in years,” Tillman-Young said. “Participating in the Voices of Black Women study, I am having the opportunity to honor my parents. To provide information that maybe might help future generations feel differently about medicine. And that, that is, that’s why. That’s why.” She is proud and excited to have Dr. Lee as an ambassador, using her voice to amplify the study. Researchers hope thousands more women will join the effort, inspired by her example. “We’re all in this together, every one of us,” Lee said. “And so I’m gonna keep on walking and talking, and maybe somebody will listen.” Dr. McCullough says that while the American Cancer Society has studied more than 2.5 million people, less than 4% of participants have been Black. Researchers are recruiting Black women ages 20 to 60 for the Voices of Black Women study. More information about eligibility and enrollment can be found at voices.cancer.org ...read more read less