Sister, Speak

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Sister, Speak!
A Breast Health Education Program of the YWCA of
Winston-Salem Made possible by funding from the
NC Triad Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen
Foundation
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What Is Sister, Speak!?

• The YWCA of Winston-Salems breast health
  education program for medically underserved
  African American women.

• Works to remove barriers to breast
• self exams and getting
• mammograms.

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Crucial Background

• The African American community has generational
  barriers to breast health education.

Communications MUST be delivered in culturally
specific terms.
Education and services must be taken into
communities.
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Sister, Speak!
unfamiliar message

• Delivering an
  (breast exams, breast health)

familiar voices
through
(beauticians, ministers, sororities)
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How?

• Conduct educational events in hair salons
• -- play culturally specific video
• -- use cosmetologists as voices of
• authority
• -- established comfort zone/trust level

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• Get buy-in of ministers and or church groups
• -- speak, speak, speak!
• -- engage womens
• groups
• -- honor and recognize
• churchs survivors

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• Provide transportation
• Be aware of culturally specific language that is
  effective
• Use survivors as spokespersons
• GET OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY

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Sister, Speak!

• Touched more than 2,000 women with a message of
  breast health
• Provided free mammograms for women with no
  insurance
• Hosted 12 educational events and mammography
  screenings
• Engaged more than 350 African American women in
  the 2002 2003 NC Triad Race for the Cure events
  as part of the Sister, Speak! team
• In 2003, spun off and mentor the Greensboro
  YWCAs Sister, Speak! program. Hoping to make
  program regional.

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