By Hayat Mohamed, BlackVoices.com

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for women of every race! Despite breast cancer's unbiased wrath, racial disparities are considerably unbalanced. Studies show that tumors are more aggressive in blacks than in Caucasians; African-American women also have a significantly higher mortality rate than white women.

Black Voices recently spoke to painter Synthia SAINT JAMES about the disparity of breast cancer deaths in blacks and whites. SAINT JAMES, who is currently an ambassador for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure® , created an original work to raise money for the Komen foundation's Circle of Promise campaign.

"Circle of Promise (the painting) is meant to encourage hope, healing, unity and love in our fight against breast cancer," she says. SAINT JAMES lent us some insight on early detection as well as the role her art plays in the fight against breast cancer.

The College Survival Guide

A Fridge
Regardless of whether you have a wonderful sized meal plan, your fridge may come in handy with leftovers or when you feel like stocking it with bottled drinks.

Computer
The convenience of a computer is essential when sending your kids off to college. Forget the hike to the computer lab across campus students need a computer in the comfort of their room. A printer comes in handy as well. Depending on whether your child plans to carry his laptop around campus, you might opt for a desk top since they're lighter on the pockets.

Snacks
You will surely survive with off of a meal plan but it doesn't hurt to stock up on snacks when you don't feel like leaving your dorm room. Bottled water, pop corn, cereal and Ramen noodles are all low budget snacks to stock up on. Just be weary of the freshman 15.

Things from home
Some college students suffer from homesickness the first year. It's best to surround yourself with things like photos of the family, pillows or even stuffed animals. Anything that reminds your child of home.

MP3 Player
With all the stress that comes from school and exams, sometimes it's nice to block out the chaos in your life and even your roommate with music. It's nearly impossible to find students walking to class who aren't jamming to tunes.

Budget
Students who enter college often come in at the ripening age of 18. A great time for credit cards. Parents beware, your child may end up ruining their credit at a young age

Alarm Clock
When you're in college you don't have the luxury of getting awaken by your parents. It's now your responsibility to get to class on time so alarm clocks are a must. But keep your roommate in mind. You shouldn't wake him up ever morning with a blow horn alarm.

Cleaning supplies
Now you don't necessarily need to bring in the rubber gloves, mop and gas mask but it doesn't hurt to bring along Clorox all purpose wipes for spills or dust. Vacuums and brooms come in handy too depending if you have a carpeted dorm.

Bedding
What most parents aren't aware of is that most college beds are twin sized but extra long and require special sheets. When shopping keep your eye open for sheets that clearly state 'extra long' or else your child may come up short.

Shower shoes
You really don't know what some people do in the shower these days. College showers are known to be creeping with germs so spare yourself the fungus and purchase flip flops for the shower. You'll thank us later!

To check out more of Synthia Saint James' artwork or to purchase paintings, visit her website Synthia Saint James.


What is the purpose of the Circle of Promise campaign at the Susan G. Komen?

The Circle of Promise is really re-writing the story of African-Americans and breast cancer. There are three things that we really focus on. The first is: Promise. Make a promise to yourself to take care of your breast health. Practice what we call breast self awareness. Know your body and when changes do occur, talk to your doctor immediately. The key to breast cancer survival is early detection. Second is: Do. Get involved with Circle of Promise. Anyone can go online and become an ambassador for their community; it's not only by invitation. It's really rallying support of your community and also the government. When you go online you can also see the issues and the laws that need to come into effect. Three: Tell your friends. We urge women go out and tell seven of their friends to get them to the website and get them to join.

How did you get involved with the campaign?

I received a letter, sometime back when they were first seeking ambassadors for the national campaign and I was asked to be apart of the program. In addition, they commissioned me to do the painting 'Circle of Promise.' Now I serve on two levels; creating the signature image and being an ambassador. I'm getting ready in a few weeks to do a fundraiser here in Los Angeles for the foundation as well.Why do feel black women die at such a high rate compared to other ethnic groups?

The lack of knowledge, stereotypes and some crazy myths some people have about getting a mammogram. It's really a fear. We are at higher risk of dying from breast cancer because we don't get tested. I also feel like we don't have the medical coverage and we don't get our check-ups as often whether it's our yearly medical visit or gynecologist visit and that's a big problem. Fortunately in my area there are different organizations that sponsor free mammograms. However unless the people know about it, especially the young women, they're really not going to go.
Why do you think women don't get mammograms as often as they should?

I believe a lot of people are afraid of the mammogram itself. I'm sure a lot of people that believe going and getting that test, you're creating chances of breast cancer because you're dealing with x-rays. So actually I guess it's really knocking down the fear. Some people don't want to go to the doctor because they don't want to hear bad news. Recently I was speaking to a very well educated black woman who is probably in her 60s and she didn't want to check out a mole she had on her face because she feared they might give her bad news. Unfortunately many people have this fear of going to a doctor and finding out about their health.

At what age should women start getting a mammogram?

That's the thing, some women can actually get breast cancer in their 20s but they primarily tell us when we're 40 or our late 30s. I don't know why that is medically but I think women should get screenings much earlier than that.

How does your art contribute to the aide for breast cancer?

I didn't realize this in the beginning but over the years I learned that art has helped with healing. I've done some work for hospitals. I did one large painting for a women's center which was placed in the reception area of the nursery for newborns. So when the baby's are lying in the crib, they're looking up at this big bright painting. So it's often used for healing, and that makes me feel incredible.

Are there minor life style changes women can make to help lower their chances of getting breast cancer?

Promote a healthy life style. It's the simple things like maintaining a healthy weight and physical activity. Women should be watching their intake of fat-especially trans fat, taking multi-vitamins and folic acid as well as limiting drinking of alcohol. We don't think about all of the things that help us overall remain healthier.