Jesse, Stroger, declare war on cancer

Calling cancer a "disease of mass destruction," the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., Cook County Board President John H. Stroger Jr. and others have joined forces in declaring war against cancer in the Black community.

Jackson urged parents to meet him 9 a.m. Saturday at the Dr. King Workshop, 930 E. 50th St., where they'll be able to get free cancer, diabetes and prostate tests. For the past three weeks including over the weekend, Jackson has worked hard at fashioning partnerships between the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Stroger, and the American Cancer Society in sharing the responsibility of letting Blacks know about cancer and how it disproportionately affects this population.

During a press conference held at Dr. King's Workshop, 930 E. 50th St., over the weekend, Jackson, who was joined by a number of health officials including Stroger, Diana Hackbarth, R.N., Ph.D., for the campaign for a Healthy Smoke-free Chicago who chairs the Illinois Coalition Against Tobacco, Dr. Clement Rose, vice president of the American Cancer Society Illinois Division, Joel Africk, CEO, American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago, announced they're marching in the Loop near City Hall urging aldermen to pass the clean indoor air bill.

"Second-hand smoke takes a terrible toll on our community...," said Hackbarth. "Second-hand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in America today, and kills more than 200,000 Illinoisans every year."

"We are aware that second-hand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals and 63 carcinogens," she said saying this smoke causes numerous illnesses.

Cancer, Jackson said, disproportionately affects African Americans. He said "changing lifestyles can change life options" and urged Blacks to change their diets.

"A belly full of grease and some pills" is a recipe for death," he warned.

"This year, 133,000 African Americans will pay a doctor to say "you have cancer." That's not necessarily a death sentence.

"If the detection is early enough, then life options are greater. Early detection is a factor," he said. Jackson said 63,000 Blacks will die of cancer this year which is more than the 55,000 soldiers who died in the Vietnam War.

"In Illinois, 5,000 will die from cancer, but, the good news is that these numbers can be dramatically reduced," he said urging early detection. That's why he offered the public free cancer screenings over the weekend including mammograms, prostate tests, and diabetes.

Jackson, who last Friday held a press conference at the John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, 1901 W. Harrison, and again Saturday at Dr. King's Workshop, 930 E. 50th St., said: "We're going church-by-church... to political leaders and disc jockeys to get the message out.

"We know that diet... obesity is a factor, and smoking is a huge factor." He urged the aldermen and Daley to "take the bold move that NY took and eliminate smoking in our environment... and public places...."

Jackson has also teamed up with the American Cancer Society of Illinois having declared war on cancer during the National Minority Cancer Awareness Week.

Jackson joined Dr. Clement Rose, vice president of the American Cancer Society Illinois Division, Steve Derks, CEO and other officials during yet another press conference held at the Bank One Plaza, Midday Club 56th Floor, 21 S. Clark St.

Also, Jackson said all youth wanting to attend college and have every thing except money, should meet him at 9 a.m. Saturday at the PUSH headquarters.

"We're building a PUSH for Excellence Scholarship Bank," said Jackson. "We want to sign them up Saturday morning to try to connect them up with scholarship."

In creating the alliance to reduce Black cancer deaths, Jackson said they're trying to eliminate the "unjust cancer burden shouldered by racial minorities, the poor and undeserved communities in Illinois."

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), Blacks have the highest death rate from cancer than any other racial or ethnic group in the nation.

Just in Illinois, officials said Black male mortality rates from cancer are 50 percent higher than those of their white peers and mortality rates from cancer for African American women are 30 percent higher than those of white women.

Data from the ACS show that in 1999, 6,793 Blacks were diagnosed with cancer in Illinois and 3,664 died of the disease which is almost ten lives lost to cancer each day.

Officials said for a five-year period from 1995 to 1999, 13,759 Black women were diagnosed with cancer in Cook County. The number of Black men diagnosed with cancer during the same period was 14,902.

The partnership will be announced today during the reception which kicks off the national Minority Cancer Awareness Week.

Both groups as well as Stroger are uniting to reduce Black cancer deaths by promoting early detection screenings, prevention education, physical fitness, and nutrition programs aimed at meeting the needs of the Black population.

Jackson said common cancers affecting Blacks for males include prostate (39.0 percent), lung (15.5 percent), colon (9.4 percent), females: breast (31.3 percent), and lung (13.1 percent), colon (13.0 percent).

Jackson, who was on WVON's Cliff Kelley Show, said this initiative will build on his "1,000 Churches" model that focuses on economic literacy.

He said 88 churches are currently enrolled and that the ministers will be teaching their flock about the importance of cancer awareness including education, early detection and prevention.

"Despite significant progress in the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer, today's health advances have not benefited all Americans equally, especially African Americans," said Rose.

Reportedly, the higher death rates among Blacks are blamed, in part, on the lateness of the disease being diagnosed and after it has metastasized to distant sites which leaves fewer options for long-term survival, Rose said.