National Civil Rights Museum To Host Discussion About Black Men’s Prostate Health

September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and the discussion will feature healthcare professionals, health equity advocates, academics, and prostate cancer survivors who will all discuss what the current state of the disease is in the Black community

On Sept. 16, the National Civil Rights Museum will host a discussion about prostate cancer inequities in Black men. The panel discussion, titled “Tackling Prostate Cancer Disparities in Black Men,” is part of the museum’s Catalyst for Change Speaker Series and will be streamed online on the museum website and their YouTube channel.

According to the press release, September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. The discussion will feature healthcare professionals, health equity advocates, academics, and prostate cancer survivors who will all discuss what the current state of the disease is in the Black community and how early detection, prevention, and treatment options play a part in helping to keep Black men alive.

The panelists at the event are Dr. Duane Loynes, assistant professor of Urban Studies at Rhodes College and the associate director of Equity & Culture at the Institute for Health Equity & Community Justice. Dr. Loynes will moderate the discussion in addition to panelists Dr. Walter Rayford, associate professor in the Department of Preventative Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Center, Dr. Rayford is also a urologist; Clarence Williamson, the co-founder of Man2Man, a prostate cancer awareness organization, and a survivor of Prostate Cancer; and Ken Carpenter, the founder of Carpenter Primary Care as well as a survivor of prostate cancer.

In conjunction with the museum, Pfizer is a partner for the event. Angel Riemer, vice president of Public and Policy Affairs, said, “We are so pleased to be partnering with the National Civil Rights Museum for this special event. It’s hugely important to have events like these that give all stakeholders an open forum to discuss health disparities in prostate cancer. Pfizer is working every day to reduce healthcare disparities by leading and investing in a variety of programs, including our support of this initiative. We encourage anyone who is interested to sign up for this free, hybrid event, and I look forward to hearing from all of the panelists next week.”

According to Dr. Russ Wiggington, the president of the National Civil Rights Museum, “One of the most glaring disparities in healthcare today is the unequal impact of prostate cancer on Black men. Black men are 70% more likely to develop prostate cancer during their lifetime than white men, and they are also twice as likely to die from the disease,” Dr. Wigginton said. “Despite significant advancements in cancer diagnostics, therapeutics, and healthcare delivery, racial disparities in prostate cancer outcomes persist. More must be done to bridge the health equity gap.”

The event is free, and an in-person reception is scheduled to follow at 7:30 p.m. Registration for the event is strongly encouraged and can be accessed through the museum’s website. According to the museum, through its Catalyst for Change Speaker Series, the museum hopes to raise awareness of some of the most pressing issues that affect Black Americans.