Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Ciara has teamed up with the Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) and Hologic’s Project Health Equality to launch ‘Cerving Confidence’, an initiative to encourage Black women to commit screening exams for cervical cancer.
Black women are disproportionately impacted by cervical cancer. The new campaign offers women of color “life-saving information” as well as access to screening to help prevent cervical cancer.
“As Black women, we need to commit to total self-care, and one of the ways we can do that is by taking care of our health inside and out,” says Ciara.
“Through the Cerving Confidence initiative I want to level up conversations about health and address disparities by giving Black women the inspiration and information they need to get a Pap test to screen for cervical cancer.”
In the PSA, she calls on Black women to join her in #CervingConfidence and urges them to invite their girlfriends to do the same.
The screening is as simple as, “Roll up. Pull up. Boom, bam, it’s done!” says Ciara.
According to the press release, research shows that Black women in the U.S. are twice as likely to die from cervical cancer than white women,. They are also more likely to be diagnosed with advanced cervical cancer than any other racial group.
“What makes this campaign really exciting is we get to help women understand that they don’t have to get cancer,” Ciara tells USA Today. “You can actually get screened, see some changes in cells, get those cells removed, and you’re fine, cancer-free.”
The singer says “it’s time to change the narrative.”
“It really doesn’t have to be this way,” she tells the publication. “It’s not a complicated step or process to be on top of your game… Let’s continue to create that equity for all (and) for Black women.”
