Breast Cancer Awareness Advocate was a Personal Health Ambassador to Thousands of District Women
Mayor Vincent C. Gray released the following statement on the death of breast cancer advocate Zora Kramer Brown, who died on Sunday:
"I was saddened to learn of the passing of Zora Brown, a pioneer in advocating for breast-cancer awareness, research, treatment and support within underserved communities in the District and nationwide. I personally understand her journey with this disease that also touched my family, and I applaud Zora for her more than 25 years of tireless advocacy in the face of her own battle with the disease.
"Zora Brown, a breast-cancer survivor with a family history of deaths from breast and ovarian cancer, used her own experience to try and prevent the same suffering in other black women. Her outreach through churches in the District helped to educate residents about the need for regular medical care and to let them know that a cancer diagnosis was not an automatic death sentence.
"In the District, she founded the Breast Cancer Resource Committee, the Cancer Awareness Program Services and the Rise Sister Rise Saturday morning gatherings. Through these initiatives and others, Zora relentlessly pursued her mission to achieve a 50 percent drop in African-American breast cancer deaths by the end of the 20th century. Her approach was to inform minority women that breast cancer does not choose its victims by race, and that regular mammograms are the best path to both prevention and early detection. Her efforts received recognition from U.S. presidents and members of Congress.
"As we highlight the achievements of women during Women's History Month, Zora Kramer Brown stands out as a giant among women who persevered against the odds while helping others to persevere. My thoughts and prayers are with her loved ones and the many whose lives she touched."
