Black Health Equity Updates: July/ August Recap
Welcome to the first update from the Black Health Equity (BHE) team.
We've decided to join The Online Community to share more about the work we do every day. Our hope is that by bringing you along on our journey, supporters, loved ones, and men with lived experience can hear directly from us, learn more about our work, and even help shape future areas of focus through feedback and ideas.
July and August are two of the busiest months in our calendar. During the height of summer, our focus has been on London and the West Midlands, areas with large Black populations and higher rates of late-stage prostate cancer diagnosis. This makes it even more important for us to actively engage Black communities, raise awareness, and encourage conversations about risk and early detection. The events came in thick and fast over the summer, and despite the scorching temperatures, we were fortunate to attend a range of culturally relevant community events and engage with hundreds of people.
Some of the highlights from the past two months include:
Simmer Down Festival
Simmer Down Festival is a one-day celebration of Caribbean music and culture held in the heart of Birmingham.
Alongside our incredible volunteers and staff, we engaged directly with festival-goers, particularly Black men, to talk about prostate cancer risk, PSA testing, and treatment options.
Prostate Cancer UK had not attended the festival for several years, so it was fantastic to re-establish our presence within such an important community event. What stood out most to me was having men with lived experience alongside us, openly sharing their stories and speaking with an authenticity that no leaflet or campaign material could ever replicate.
Their willingness to have honest conversations helped create meaningful connections and encouraged others to open up about their own experiences and concerns.
Black Women Rising Panel Event
Hosted by Breast Cancer Now and Black Women Rising UK, this inspiring event brought together more than 150 women of colour for an evening of honest conversations, lived experiences, myth-busting, learning, and connection.
The BHE team attended with one intention: to listen, learn, and support.
Evenings like this remind us that behind every awareness campaign, statistic, and health conversation is a person, a family, and a community navigating fear, uncertainty, and resilience.
There are many parallels with the work we do at Prostate Cancer UK to address the disproportionate impact of prostate cancer on Black men. That is seen across different cancers. Further demonstrating the need for trusted voices, culturally relevant conversations, and strong community support.
Notting Hill Carnival
This year marked the 60th anniversary of Notting Hill Carnival, and I was proud to represent Prostate Cancer UK at such a historic and vibrant celebration.
The day began at the London Fire Brigade's annual Carnival brunch, where staff, local dignitaries, community leaders, and partners came together ahead of the festivities. As the station doors opened and the Carnival atmosphere filled the streets, our team got straight to work.
Throughout the day, we spoke with hundreds of carnival-goers, answered questions, shared resources, and distributed goodie bags and flags to children and families enjoying the celebrations.
Events like Notting Hill Carnival provide a unique opportunity to meet people where they are, have conversations in trusted spaces, and raise awareness about a disease that disproportionately affects Black men.
Birmingham Community Leisure Trust
We were invited to take part in a series of community activations across leisure centres in the West Midlands, and our first event proved to be a great success.
During the summer holidays, leisure centres are bustling with families and people from a wide range of backgrounds looking to stay active and connected. This provided an ideal opportunity to reach people in a setting where they might not normally expect to receive health information.
The event also brought together a range of support organisations, including MIND, Macmillan Cancer Support, Diabetes UK, drug and alcohol support services, and many others. It was encouraging to see so many organisations working collaboratively to improve the health and wellbeing of local communities.
From Awareness to Action: Black Men's Health & Prostate Cancer
In other news, the BHE team was invited to take part in a local radio discussion about prostate cancer.
We were more than happy to step outside our usual engagement methods and take our message to the airwaves and online audiences. Every conversation matters. One discussion can encourage a man to check his risk, speak to his GP, or have a conversation with his family. That conversation could ultimately save a life.
The replay of "From Awareness to Action: Black Men's Health & Prostate Cancer" is now available on SoundCloud.
Please take a listen, share it with others, and send it to a family member, a friend or anyone you know who may benefit from hearing it. One message can start an important conversation, and that conversation could help save a life.
🔗 https://soundcloud.com/user-934413765/from-awareness-to-action-black?si=0d4d72f86abb47c6ac7503fe5e0d88cc&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing.
Until Next Time...
Thank you for reading our first Black Health Equity Engagement update.
We're looking forward to sharing more stories, community highlights, and insights from our work in the months ahead. Keep an eye out for future updates in the Black men’s specific group!
Best wishes, Jay W – Black Health Equity Engagement Officer