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I’m Dr. Rob Winn and you're listening
to Real Cancer Talk

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from VCU Massey
Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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I am Community Clo.

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Welcome to another great edition
of Community Conversations.

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You want to turn us all the way up?

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You know, it's Black History Month
and of course we celebrate

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our black rich history, 365.

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But for the sake of this month,
Black History Month,

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this is also National Cancer
Prevention Month.

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Black cancer disparities.

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We want to talk about all of that.

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And on the show with me,
I brought a few friends along.

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Doctor Gary Ellison is deputy director
of the Division of Cancer Control

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and Population Sciences
at the National Cancer Institute, the NCI.

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What's up, Doctor Ellison? Hey,

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how are y'all doing?

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Well, it's good to have you on the show.

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And you know what?

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We're in a win win situation
when this doctor, he's a pulmonologist.

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Quote-unquote, lung cancer runnin’
the head guy

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over at the VCU Massey
Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr.

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Robert Winn.

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You know what?

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You know I’m good when you here.

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So, look,
we gonna turn this all the way up.

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We gonna turn it all the way
up. Yeah. That's right.

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And we got to.
And I know folks are listening.

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It's like, wait a minute.

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How do you have laughs?

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Because we're talking about cancer.

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It's time.

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It's time to have those conversations.

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But because cures
are right around the corner.

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But most importantly, cancer control.

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So, Doctor Ellison, can we start with
some of the black cancer disparities

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as this info is from the National Cancer
Institute.

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Talk to us.

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Yeah. How's everybody doing?

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I hope you doing well.

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I know that I'm about to present
some statistics

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that are really sobering,
but let me just say, the overall mortality

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rate, the death rate from cancer
is going down for everybody.

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So let's start with some good news.

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Oh, that's that's.

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That's excellent news.

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Dr. Elllison, say that again! What? Right.

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The death rate for
everybody is slowing down. Wow.

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That's because, 
you know, decreasing incidence.

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You know, fewer people are getting cancer.

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The rates are going down.

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People are surviving better.

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And that's because of all the progress
that we've made over the last 30 years.

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Thank you.

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Detecting cancers, you know, reducing
smoking in our communities.

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Also treatment and prevention.

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You know, we're we're exercising
we're doing things better for ourselves

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so that we can prevent cancer
from even occurring.

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So that's the good news.

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But there's still large
disparities, right?

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There's still differences in those rates.

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Right.

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With black people

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having the highest mortality
rate of any other racial ethnic group.

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And we usually compare our rates to,

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that of the white population.

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I like to compare the rate to, you know,
those who are doing the best stuff

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because we want to,
you know, be where they are.

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So our rates of mortality rates,

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overall death rates are 82%

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higher than the Asian American
non-Hispanic population.

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Yeah, that's quite significant
and only 12% higher than whites.

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So we have, some work to do.

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And when we look at,
yeah, when we, when we break it

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down, between males and females
looking at, males,

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which we have the highest mortality

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rate, our death rate due to cancer
is 95, 94% higher

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than, Asian and Pacific Islanders
and 17% higher than whites.

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So definitely we have, some work to do.

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And we're talking

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about the three C's breast cancer,
prostate cancer and cervical cancer.

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And a lot of folks
are just not getting checked up.

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Doctor Ellison,
so what causes cancer disparities?

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Well, there are many things that causes,
disparities in cancer.

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We talk about, social determinants
are are drivers of health.

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I believe that those are the main things
that, cause, disparities in cancer.

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We don't want to blame the individual.

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We know that there are individual
behaviors that people can engage in, like,

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more physical activity, 
watching what they eat.

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We were talking earlier about looking at, 
you know, labels and the packages.

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But there are other things,
the structural issues, like,

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low income and poverty, for example.

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Poverty is the fourth
leading cause of death.

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And I don't know,
if if people really knew that.

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James Baldwin said that,
anyone who has ever struggled

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with poverty knows how extremely expensive
it is to be poor.

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And so the ultimate expense,
you know, as you know,

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we've seen over
the years is death from cancer, right?

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So, yeah,

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so those are some of the things that
that we're dealing with in our community.

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Because, you know,
when we look at poverty, close

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to 20% of black people live in poverty.

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And we represent 13 to 14%
of, of the population.

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So, and so those are

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some of the main drivers
of what causes disparities.

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When we look at these social issues.

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Also, looking at health care,

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there's a lot of distrust
in our community.

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When you go to, 
hospitals and, and health care facilities

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and folks don't look like you,
I think if we had more folks

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who participate in, you know,
these health care professions

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that look like, you know, us, then,

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you know, that might instill greater
trust in the health care system.

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Well, and so, you know, go ahead.

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Well, I just want to jump in here and and,
Doctor Ellison,

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thank you so much for the statistics
on this black cancer disparities.

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But when you say it struck something in me
when you said poverty

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is the fourth leading cause of death.

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Now, when we talking about also
and I want to add to that,

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hey, we want more folks of color
to go into the medical field.

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But if you're poor and you have the will
and you can't do it,

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maybe we should look at providing
more scholarships for these kids

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to get into school, because medical school
initially can be very expensive.

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You bring up a good point.

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And and I really, you know,
first of all, doctor, thank you for.

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Thank you. So much. James.

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James Baldwin

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because I think that that fits in with,
what they talked about in 1989.

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I think Doctor Broder,
who actually had also been at the

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NIH and NCI,
talked about poverty as a carcinogen.

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And then a way to look at that
as poverty is a cancer causing agent.

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The reality is I think structure matters.

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I do think that as we are
looking to the future about

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how we're going to tackle this problem,
it's not just going to be creating

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a molecule that becomes a medicine
and the medicine becomes available.

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It's dealing with the structural issues
of which I really love that

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we're expounding on
now that places like the NCI underneath,

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you know, that the leadership of Doctor
Ravenel,

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that they're looking at,
not just the basic science is,

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but also those population scientists about

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how do we get the discoveries to people.

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So that's going to be 
on all of us to figure out

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how do we get better, not only access,
but high quality access in?

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If you can't get around it
without talking about workforce.

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So we all in the fields are going to have
to grapple as a country as a, as a,

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as a, about how we are going to grapple
with the next workforce.

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That's going to

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have to be able to provide care
not just for some, but for all of us.

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To get us really healthy.

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So I think that's a great point
to bring out.

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Sister Clo. Yeah, absolutely.

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And poverty is a cancer
causing agent in our communities as well.

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So all of us as community advocates,
whether it's community advocates

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on human rights and civil rights,

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when we need to include health
rights as well, and we need to start

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training us as community advocates
when we go into these communities as well.

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We're talking about other disparities,
but we must include the health,

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especially when poverty is a cancer agent.

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And Doctor Ellison, I can't
thank you enough

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for putting those numbers out there
because it's life.

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And then what
we have to do as community advocates,

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we have to go into the communities
to make sure those families

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who are eligible for Medicaid
help them get enrolled.

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Would you both agree, Doc and Doc?

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Yeah, I agree with that wholeheartedly.

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I agree with that also.

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You know, and the other thing
I wanted to mention too is that, you

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know, NCI, the National Cancer Institute
is a research institution, right?

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And we fund

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from where I sit, we, we fund, research
is that academic institutions

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or other types of research institutions
to conduct the work.

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Now there's a move a movement
to involve more community.

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And the work that we do,
because we realize

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that the communities are actually having
these lived experiences.

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Right.

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So they can actually drive
the important questions

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that need to be asked
so that we can intervene and, and,

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and do the type of research that's
really important for those communities.

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And there's also a push to not only look
at factors in these, individuals.

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I talked about that earlier,
but we were talking about some of the

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structures, like poverty, for example,
or other social factors.

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There's a movement
to actually intervene on those.

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And it requires people from multiple,

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disciplines to get involved, like,
I'm an epidemiologist.

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So I look at, you know, factors
associated with these risk,

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but we require people from the policy
background, people from economics.

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So I think it's going to take all of us
to intervene on

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these very critical issues.

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Welcome back to Community Conversations.

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It's a show of no white coats
and no co-pays. Yep.

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You're listening out.

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Doctor Robert Winn of the VCU Massey

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Cancer Comprehensive Center
is joining me on the show.

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And Doctor Gary Ellison
with the National Cancer Institute.

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Welcome back to the show.

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Now, Doctor Winn
I know you've been holding your thoughts.

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Let's get back to it.

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We got to bring it all in
and talk about one team, one fight.

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Let's go.

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You know.

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Hey, look, you know,
I was told to do stuff like Method Man.

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But you know what?

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I'm very excited.

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I like.

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Oh, my God.

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Have you all on the break?

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We think get ready to go.

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Yeah.

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I think the real
the real issue here is in something

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that I really love, that Ellison says.

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Bottom line
about how these things can connect.

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It's just you never say I mean straight up

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your whole point
about being one team, one fight.

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Yeah, that is that we actually have this
mistrust and distrust

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and low trust and a whole lot of things.
You know why we hear that?

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Because we don't know.

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But we trust everybody in the community.

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Because you here. Right.

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I get you so that we now know
the reality is research is real.

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Right.

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And that research is,
you know, with research,

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I think one of the huge actually.

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So is that research thought in the mind.

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Right. Science thoughts in the mind.

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And so imagine you get bright people
who are at the level at the NIH or the NCI

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who are thinking about the science
and the research from their mind

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and trying to now make that real.

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That's why we need the parts, right?

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So you have the research ideal
and concept,

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but then that's why you have cancer
centers like all across the United States

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and the NCI designated cancer centers
like, like us, like a VCU

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Massey that are able
then to not only do the science,

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but take it to the street
and make it real.

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Yeah. Right.

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But then you need the community
because the reality is we have

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they had a model for 50 plus years.

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We talk about the beds
the bedside, as if one bright idea

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could just get to the bedside.

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But what about this community
not getting to our bedside?

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So I'll flip the script
and call it a community bench model.

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In where the information about our science
is being informed

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by the people we serve.

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You see that?

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So the reality is this whole concept
of wanting to fight.

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Sometimes I think we get
so into our own selves that we forget

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that the only way to do big
things is to do them together.

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And I think that this concept,
and Sister Clo.

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I cannot, cannot actually

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give you more props to what you started
when you started this show.

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Because what we're trying to do
is to bring everybody on the one hand.

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Yes, I would say by bringing us together.

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And I appreciate what you've been doing.
Thank you.

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I couldn't do it without,

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you know, my black scientists

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and researchers is now when I say
black scientists and researchers

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and doctors, I'm not talking about
just serving African-Americans.

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Yes, that's important,
but you're serving the entire population,

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and that's what we got to do
is bring the trust back.

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But understanding the science,
when you're talking about cancer control,

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who's having a conversation, Dr.

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Ellison in the community about cancer
control, population science and research.

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We're not having those conversations.

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So now with the road

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to trust into community conversations,
and we're going to talk all about that.

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But, Doctor Ellison, I want to get back to

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for folks who are just joining us,
the cancer disparities when it comes to

00;13;57;00 - 00;14;02;21
and I love this DNA
versus ZNA, talk about it.

00;14;03;02 - 00;14;05;05
DNA versus ZNA.

00;14;05;05 - 00;14;10;24
So and I've heard Doctor
Winn say this many times that,

00;14;11;07 - 00;14;15;08
you know, it's not necessarily the DNA,
but it's where the neighborhoods

00;14;15;08 - 00;14;21;05
that you live in and how those can have
an impact on your cancer experience.

00;14;21;21 - 00;14;22;04
Right.

00;14;22;04 - 00;14;26;18
We know that individuals,
from low income

00;14;26;21 - 00;14;30;22
and they could be any racial or ethnic
group tend to live in communities

00;14;30;22 - 00;14;36;25
where they, perhaps who live next
to industrial facilities,

00;14;36;26 - 00;14;39;27
waste sites where they are exposed to

00;14;40;08 - 00;14;43;07
a number of different, carcinogens.

00;14;43;07 - 00;14;48;11
I just gave a talk at the Advancement of
Science of Cancer in Latinos conference,

00;14;48;14 - 00;14;51;27
and the focus was of that meeting

00;14;51;27 - 00;14;55;19
was climate change
and its impact on Latinos.

00;14;55;19 - 00;15;01;02
But you could put any community there
because climate change affects all of us.

00;15;01;21 - 00;15;04;16
But when we think about, you know,

00;15;04;16 - 00;15;08;05
who bears the excess burden of pollution?

00;15;08;10 - 00;15;11;03
Yeah. For climate change. Right.

00;15;11;03 - 00;15;15;29
And it it depends on where you live.

00;15;15;29 - 00;15;20;15
And so think about, 
you know, African-Americans,

00;15;20;24 - 00;15;26;03
bearing the excess burden of pollution
due to the burning of fossil fuels.

00;15;26;03 - 00;15;32;06
They have more than, I believe
a 50, 55% affects exposure to pollution.

00;15;32;06 - 00;15;34;29
And this pollution is air pollution.

00;15;34;29 - 00;15;40;28
It has carcinogens like benzene,
formaldehyde and other carcinogens.

00;15;40;28 - 00;15;45;16
These are things that have been determined
carcinogenic to humans. And,

00;15;46;15 - 00;15;49;01
they bear this excess exposure

00;15;49;01 - 00;15;52;26
relative
to that caused by their consumption.

00;15;52;26 - 00;15;55;17
So they're not the ones
causing the pollution,

00;15;55;17 - 00;15;59;26
but they're experiencing the hardships
associated with that, that pollution.

00;16;00;13 - 00;16;04;22
And so I think that's, 
something important to consider.

00;16;04;22 - 00;16;07;22
And that's why I said earlier, that's
why we're,

00;16;08;20 - 00;16;11;26
tackling the structures
that are the individuals,

00;16;12;07 - 00;16;15;12
we understand that the individuals live
within these structures,

00;16;15;12 - 00;16;20;12
but we are tackling these structures
to mitigate some of these, exposures

00;16;20;12 - 00;16;24;19
that people have living in these neighbors
neighborhoods that with the increased

00;16;24;19 - 00;16;28;07
risk for developing cancer
or other cancer outcomes. Wow.

00;16;28;09 - 00;16;32;07
This is so important to understand
the breathe, the air that you breathe.

00;16;32;13 - 00;16;36;14
And years and years and years ago,
we used to have all of these commercials

00;16;36;14 - 00;16;39;18
about breathing
and reading the back of the labels.

00;16;39;19 - 00;16;41;16
Remember, you have to eat your greens,

00;16;41;16 - 00;16;44;05
you have to eat all of your leafy
vegetables.

00;16;44;05 - 00;16;47;05
And hey, is that
almost like a thing of the past?

00;16;47;21 - 00;16;50;12
That's what's happening
when it comes to our communities.

00;16;50;12 - 00;16;55;04
So wouldn't you agree, Doctor Ellison,
even if you are living in these areas,

00;16;55;22 - 00;16;59;08
that you're having some polluted water
and some polluted air,

00;16;59;16 - 00;17;03;24
but if you could just change your diet,
could we start there?

00;17;03;24 - 00;17;06;16
Could that help a little
bit to control the cancer?

00;17;08;17 - 00;17;09;03
I think that

00;17;09;03 - 00;17;14;06
there, a number of things that we can do,
but sometimes and that's why

00;17;14;06 - 00;17;17;03
I think it's important to
to tackle the communities,

00;17;17;03 - 00;17;20;15
because we know that, 
you know, physical activity

00;17;20;15 - 00;17;23;27
is associated with developing,
I believe, 13 types of cancer.

00;17;23;27 - 00;17;24;18
Right.

00;17;24;18 - 00;17;28;11
And so if your neighborhood
is not conducive to walking,

00;17;28;16 - 00;17;34;02
right, if you don't have sidewalks, right,
then then, you know,

00;17;34;02 - 00;17;35;09
how can we tell people

00;17;35;09 - 00;17;39;08
that you need to get out and walk
when it's unsafe for them to do that?

00;17;39;08 - 00;17;43;22
So that's why it's really important
to tackle things in the neighborhood.

00;17;44;00 - 00;17;47;04
Also, you know,
we understand that people live in,

00;17;47;12 - 00;17;50;01
you know, neighborhoods
where there are foods deserts.

00;17;50;01 - 00;17;50;25
And the only thing that

00;17;50;25 - 00;17;55;03
they have available to them is,
you know, being like a corner store,

00;17;55;03 - 00;18;00;10
for example, to have, food
that is heavily processed, not nutritious.

00;18;00;10 - 00;18;04;21
But we know that, you know, processed
food leads to,

00;18;05;04 - 00;18;07;22
you know, the development of cancer,
right?

00;18;07;22 - 00;18;12;18
So, so there are things that we can do,
you know, going back to,

00;18;12;23 - 00;18;17;28
you know, tackling these structures,
in our communities that would,

00;18;18;02 - 00;18;22;24
and enhance
our, our health in a, in a great way.

00;18;23;06 - 00;18;26;26
So, yes,
there are things that individuals can do,

00;18;27;06 - 00;18;33;02
but it's like, you know, Martin Luther
King said it's cruel

00;18;33;02 - 00;18;36;11
to tell people
to pull themselves up by their bootstraps

00;18;36;11 - 00;18;39;06
when they don't have any food,
so don't have any. Yeah.

00;18;41;24 - 00;18;42;24
This is good stuff.

00;18;42;24 - 00;18;47;12
And, and Doctor Winn for folks
who are listening again locally

00;18;47;12 - 00;18;50;13
and internationally, we gotta pull back

00;18;50;13 - 00;18;53;13
from eating every part of the hog.

00;18;53;20 - 00;18;56;11
And, and we've had
several conversations now.

00;18;56;11 - 00;18;58;28
We've had several conversations
about that.

00;18;58;28 - 00;19;00;15
You know, you got potatoes

00;19;00;15 - 00;19;03;23
and then you got it all buttered,
and then you got it all cheesy.

00;19;04;02 - 00;19;08;19
I mean, we I mean, carbs on carbs,
all of this stuff is killing us.

00;19;08;26 - 00;19;14;00
Not even looking at the package
when you're talking about 500mg of sodium.

00;19;15;07 - 00;19;17;19
And, you right now, you don't know

00;19;17;19 - 00;19;20;23
you right now, you're going to be messin’
with people with stuff like that.

00;19;20;23 - 00;19;22;09
But you know, tell the truth.

00;19;22;09 - 00;19;24;15
So if you tell the truth.

00;19;24;15 - 00;19;24;27
And that fat-back.

00;19;24;27 - 00;19;25;01
Don’t leave my fat-back.

00;19;25;01 - 00;19;28;23
In reality.

00;19;28;23 - 00;19;31;00
You know what I would suggest we, You.

00;19;31;00 - 00;19;35;00
So, yeah, that thing that happen 
annually, right, its called.

00;19;35;00 - 00;19;38;24
I think family reunions
where you have some of the best

00;19;38;24 - 00;19;42;17
and brightest people,
particularly, people of color,

00;19;42;17 - 00;19;43;22
you know, the sister
who wrote ‘High on the Hog’

00;19;43;22 - 00;19;47;00
and all of these other folks
getting together talking about food

00;19;47;09 - 00;19;49;28
and what a friend of mine
took there once.

00;19;49;28 - 00;19;50;25
And you know what?

00;19;50;25 - 00;19;53;25
The best conversation happened
that really is?

00;19;54;06 - 00;19;57;12
Let me just say,
you know, what we don't recognize

00;19;57;12 - 00;20;00;27
is that the foods that we actually try
to consume, all that stuff

00;20;00;27 - 00;20;03;27
with celebration, food
that wasn't everyday food.

00;20;04;00 - 00;20;09;21
And so I think as a people, we need
to kind of reorient the realities of that.

00;20;09;21 - 00;20;14;04
Some of those heavy things, those were
really only done in special times.

00;20;14;10 - 00;20;17;24
And and we've gotten the myth now
that that's how everybody eat every day.

00;20;17;27 - 00;20;19;09
That's not how it was.

00;20;19;09 - 00;20;21;17
Our folk and our generation in the 80s

00;20;21;17 - 00;20;24;26
that came before us and old folks,
from Virginia all the way to Califronia,

00;20;24;26 - 00;20;28;14
what those folk did not eat, the way
we think they ate.

00;20;28;15 - 00;20;31;07
In reality,
some of those foods are comfort food.

00;20;31;07 - 00;20;32;22
Those are celebratory foods.

00;20;32;22 - 00;20;35;05
Those a whole families came together.

00;20;35;05 - 00;20;37;06
People eating celebratory foods every day.

00;20;37;06 - 00;20;40;02
Exactly. Every day. You can't.
And that's what we know.

00;20;40;02 - 00;20;41;11
And that's
what's causing us a lot of grief.

00;20;41;11 - 00;20;44;22
So it would be wonderful to actually,
I think, you know, to really

00;20;44;22 - 00;20;48;22
awaken ourselves to the fact
that there are other avenues of eating.

00;20;48;22 - 00;20;52;17
And I think we have to relearn,
my man Terry Mason once as a doctor,

00;20;52;17 - 00;20;56;18
Illinois says we don't have to teach
our folks how to learn how to eat.

00;20;56;19 - 00;20;59;19
Yeah, healthy
because we once used to do that.

00;20;59;25 - 00;21;02;24
Yeah. Celebrity. I mean, what do you say?

00;21;02;24 - 00;21;07;11
Comfort food and celebratory foods
have become daily foods.

00;21;07;19 - 00;21;10;06
That's causing the stress
and creating a whole lot of mess.

00;21;10;06 - 00;21;11;07
For real? For real.

00;21;11;07 - 00;21;13;08
We're going to take a break
and come on back.

00;21;13;08 - 00;21;15;05
We'll have more good news.

00;21;15;05 - 00;21;16;12
Stay close.

00;21;16;12 - 00;21;20;01
This is Community Conversations.

00;21;20;06 - 00;21;23;11
I am Community Clo,
my special guest on the show.

00;21;23;11 - 00;21;26;17
You know, this is a show of no white coats
and no co-pays.

00;21;26;17 - 00;21;28;18
You know, don't play like that, Dr.

00;21;28;18 - 00;21;32;07
Gary Ellison is with the National Cancer
Institute,

00;21;32;13 - 00;21;34;27
and we're always in a win
win situation wicka-wicka, with

00;21;35;29 - 00;21;36;22
Doctor Robert

00;21;36;22 - 00;21;39;26
Winn of the VCU Comprehensive Cancer
Center.

00;21;39;26 - 00;21;41;03
Welcome back to the show.

00;21;41;03 - 00;21;42;05
Thank you. Good.

00;21;42;05 - 00;21;43;15
Good to be with you, Sis.

00;21;43;15 - 00;21;46;26
Doctor Ellison, I want you to close this
out for folks who are just joining us.

00;21;46;26 - 00;21;49;26
And then we want to send people
to your website to get more information.

00;21;50;01 - 00;21;50;17
Sure.

00;21;50;17 - 00;21;54;15
So when we think about cancer control,
we think about the continuum.

00;21;54;16 - 00;21;57;14
We think about all the way
from the beginning, understanding

00;21;57;14 - 00;22;02;00
what causes it so that we can prevent it
all the way to cancer survivorship.

00;22;02;00 - 00;22;05;28
And there are things that we can do
amongst cancer survivors to help them live

00;22;06;07 - 00;22;10;08
longer and healthier lives
after a cancer diagnosis.

00;22;10;16 - 00;22;15;13
So for more information on what we do
at the National Cancer Institute,

00;22;15;14 - 00;22;19;17
you can go to our website, cancer.gov.

00;22;19;17 - 00;22;23;03
It's a big site,
so if you're interested in cancer

00;22;23;03 - 00;22;26;19
control, there's a division of cancer
control and Population Sciences.

00;22;26;19 - 00;22;31;01
You can navigate to that and you'll find
information on on what we do.

00;22;31;14 - 00;22;33;17
Appreciate the time here today.

00;22;33;17 - 00;22;34;27
Well thank you Doctor Ellison.

00;22;34;27 - 00;22;40;07
The cancer control patrol at cancer.gov.

00;22;40;10 - 00;22;41;20
Now quickly, Dr.

00;22;41;20 - 00;22;44;24
Winn, we going to talk about
how are we some of the initiatives

00;22;44;24 - 00;22;47;17
that Massey has in reference
to cancer disparities.

00;22;47;17 - 00;22;49;06
Real quick. For sure.

00;22;49;06 - 00;22;52;22
And you know, as many people know
that this cancer center really does.

00;22;52;22 - 00;22;56;04
The reality
is that if the science is moving,

00;22;56;09 - 00;22;59;02
that science need to touch
as many people as possible. Yeah.

00;22;59;02 - 00;23;02;11
So this whole issue around equity,
from whether it's, about race

00;23;02;13 - 00;23;05;21
ethnicity to rural,
we have and any of that information,

00;23;05;21 - 00;23;11;06
you can always get to us by looking at
and typing in VCU, Massey Cancer Center.

00;23;11;06 - 00;23;14;06
And you'll be able to get all that
information about what we're trying to do.

00;23;14;07 - 00;23;17;04
And since we're celebrating

00;23;17;04 - 00;23;20;20
our rich history 365
and our topic has been cancer

00;23;20;20 - 00;23;24;04
disparities, February's Black History
Month is national Cancer Prevention Month.

00;23;24;13 - 00;23;28;15
Let's talk about some heroes
that have been on the cutting edge

00;23;28;15 - 00;23;30;26
when it comes to cancer
or just the medical field.

00;23;30;26 - 00;23;32;22
Let's start with you, Doctor Ellison.

00;23;32;22 - 00;23;36;25
Yeah, I want to give a shout out
to Worta McCaskill-Stevens.

00;23;36;25 - 00;23;39;25
She was a medical oncologist

00;23;40;00 - 00;23;43;01
working at the National Cancer Institute.

00;23;43;01 - 00;23;46;03
She was a champion for addressing cancer
disparities.

00;23;46;21 - 00;23;50;22
She passed away on November 15th, 2023.

00;23;51;03 - 00;23;55;16
She had a lifelong commitment
to advantage, advancing knowledge

00;23;55;16 - 00;23;59;09
through clinical cancer
research and inclusion,

00;23;59;10 - 00;24;04;13
minoritized communities in underserved,
people and and research.

00;24;04;13 - 00;24;10;11
So I want to recognize her
and celebrate her and, rest in peace.

00;24;10;11 - 00;24;13;19
Doctor McCaskill.
Stevens. Doctor Stevens.

00;24;14;02 - 00;24;14;14
All right.

00;24;14;14 - 00;24;18;00
Doctor Winn I know you want to shout out
some great woman,

00;24;18;17 - 00;24;22;01
black woman that is, 
Come on now, come on out.

00;24;22;01 - 00;24;23;06
Yeah, I love this.

00;24;23;06 - 00;24;23;26
You know what?

00;24;23;26 - 00;24;24;05
Yeah.

00;24;24;05 - 00;24;27;16
You know, this is Black History Month,
and we can't have black history

00;24;27;16 - 00;24;29;00
without passing on our history.

00;24;29;00 - 00;24;32;07
I want everybody to hear
open up your ears now

00;24;32;15 - 00;24;36;12
that the doctor, Edith
Mitchell, has just gone home.

00;24;36;25 - 00;24;38;29
But that sister,
during her period of time.

00;24;38;29 - 00;24;43;02
She was born and raised in Virginia,
I should say born corners,

00;24;43;02 - 00;24;45;26
raised, born and reared people.
Kids are reared.

00;24;45;26 - 00;24;46;22
Cord is raised.

00;24;46;22 - 00;24;50;02
So she was born and reared in Virginia.

00;24;50;06 - 00;24;54;00
But that Sisters
life is a dabbler of the life well lived.

00;24;54;00 - 00;24;55;14
She has touched many of us.

00;24;55;14 - 00;24;57;00
She's a medical oncologist.

00;24;57;00 - 00;24;59;09
She was in Philadelphia,
at Thomas Jefferson,

00;24;59;09 - 00;25;03;17
but her whole effort was,
how can we bring and make sure

00;25;03;17 - 00;25;07;13
that our science benefits everybody,
including black folks and everybody?

00;25;07;13 - 00;25;09;23
And Edith Mitchell was a warrior.

00;25;09;23 - 00;25;14;19
May she actually had a great home going a
she also rest in peace.

00;25;14;19 - 00;25;16;20
But she's one of our great giants
along with Dr.

00;25;16;20 - 00;25;18;05
McCaskill. Wow.

00;25;18;05 - 00;25;18;26
Thank you so much.

00;25;18;26 - 00;25;23;02
And you know, as we're talking
about all of the world issues

00;25;23;02 - 00;25;24;06
and the world is listening.

00;25;24;06 - 00;25;26;06
Thank you so much for listening.

00;25;26;06 - 00;25;28;09
But I'm going to head on down to Virginia.

00;25;28;09 - 00;25;29;03
All right.

00;25;29;03 - 00;25;32;26
She was the first woman of any race

00;25;33;10 - 00;25;37;03
to be board certified as a medical doctor

00;25;37;11 - 00;25;41;03
in Virginia, the Virginia State
Medical Examining Board.

00;25;41;20 - 00;25;44;21
She couldn't practice
at the Medical College of Virginia.

00;25;44;21 - 00;25;45;18
So guess what she did?

00;25;45;18 - 00;25;48;03
Doctor Winn, like any other woman boss.

00;25;48;03 - 00;25;49;29
She built her own hospital.

00;25;49;29 - 00;25;53;11
She built her own
hospital over in Jackson Ward.

00;25;55;08 - 00;25;59;12
She spread out and brought her husband
along with her.

00;25;59;21 - 00;26;03;09
So after she bought the hospital,
I have it because, you know,

00;26;03;09 - 00;26;04;26
you know, we're bosses, right?

00;26;04;26 - 00;26;06;09
We make things happen.

00;26;06;09 - 00;26;10;11
And then her hospital
went over to Churchill, known today

00;26;10;11 - 00;26;12;01
as Richmond Community Hospital.

00;26;12;01 - 00;26;16;03
So I just want to shout out
Sarah Garland Jones for all she's doing.

00;26;16;08 - 00;26;21;08
And with all of that, being the first
woman of any race, she's brown sugar.

00;26;21;08 - 00;26;22;13
She's a black girl.

00;26;22;13 - 00;26;23;29
Y'all

00;26;23;29 - 00;26;26;17
give it up for all of our black girl
bosses.

00;26;26;17 - 00;26;27;16
That’s right.

00;26;27;16 - 00;26;28;24
Always be proud of ya.

00;26;28;24 - 00;26;31;04
You got to have three black girl powers.

00;26;31;04 - 00;26;34;04
No doubt black is you gotta play with.

00;26;34;08 - 00;26;36;16
Whoa. Now, I call that a show.

00;26;36;16 - 00;26;39;07
That's what I'm talking about.
Where black girl bosses.

00;26;39;07 - 00;26;39;20
That's right.

00;26;39;20 - 00;26;42;18
That's the way
you celebrate our rich history.

00;26;42;18 - 00;26;46;29
365 Doctor Gary Ellison
with the National Cancer Institute.

00;26;46;29 - 00;26;52;04
Thank you, Doctor Robert Winn, we're
always in a win win situation with you.

00;26;52;04 - 00;26;55;16
And before you go,
you're going to help us all the way up.

00;26;55;25 - 00;26;56;26
Let's go.

00;26;56;26 - 00;26;59;01
You know how I'm so close is out now.

00;26;59;01 - 00;27;00;08
You know I'm a hip hop here.

00;27;00;08 - 00;27;02;27
But we going to go a little R&B with

00;27;02;27 - 00;27;04;21
with EWF, Earth, Wind, and Fire, those
you don't know.

00;27;04;21 - 00;27;06;27
Keep your head to tha’ sky.

00;27;06;27 - 00;27;09;11
Because ultimately
we got a lot of work to do.

00;27;09;11 - 00;27;12;05
Y'all all right that way. Go this out.

00;27;12;05 - 00;27;13;22
We got some an app.

00;27;13;22 - 00;27;19;01
This has been Community Conversations
and I am Community Clo.