Black Girl Magic: June Ambrose, Regina Hall, Alicia Keys & Michelle Williams Support Susan G. Komen’s ‘Know Your Girls’ To Impact and Empower Black Women

The campaign includes TV, radio, print, out-of-home, and digital PSAs which direct women to KnowYourGirls.org. The comprehensive website features easy-to-understand resources that help women navigate breast cancer risk factors, recognize changes in their own breasts, and prepare to have a conversation with a doctor. Many of the resources are shared from the perspectives of real women who have chosen to learn about their breast health, experienced breast cancer first-hand, or supported a friend who was navigating the disease.

The campaign also includes brand new social media channels, launched in collaboration with digital marketing agency Good Stuff Digital, that aim to create an online community where black women can come together to talk honestly and openly about their breast health and show support for their sisters.

The Know Your Girls campaign will help Susan G. Komen work to achieve their Bold Goal to reduce the current 40,000 annual breast cancer deaths by 50 percent in the U.S. by 2026. Closing the gap in health disparities is crucial to achieving the Bold Goal.

Through their African American Health Equity Initiative, Komen is already working to reduce the mortality gap between black women and white women by 25 percent, focusing first on the 10 cities where mortality rates and late-stage diagnosis of black women are highest. The Know Your Girls campaign will target outreach in these 10 cities to amplify those efforts: Memphis, Tennessee; St. Louis, Missouri; Long Beach/Los Angeles Metro Area; Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington Metro Area; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Houston, Texas; Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In some cities, the disparity in breast cancer mortality rate between black and white women is as high as 74%.

Across the country, Susan G. Komen’s network of local Affiliates will lend their support to the campaign and promote its work across their channels.

The Know Your Girls PSAs were directed by A.V. Rockwell, who has created short films like Feathers and The Gospel, and include singer Alicia Keys’s hit song “You Don’t Know My Name.” To amplify the campaign’s message, Know Your Girls is partnering with Coming to America actress and breast cancer survivor Vanessa Bell Calloway, who provides the voiceover for the PSAs, celebrity stylist June Ambrose, actress and comedian Regina Hall, E! News co-anchor Zuri Hall, 2 Dope Queens co-creator and actress Jessica Williams, singer-songwriter, producer and actress Michelle Williams, and comedian and actress Kym Whitley; as well as digital creators Black Moms Blog, Ebony from Team2Moms, Glamtwinz: Kelsey & Kendra Murrell, Jade Kendle, Tianne King, Megan “Megz” Lytle and Jayla Watson. Facebook has signed on to support the campaign through donated media and a partnership with their Creative Shop. WWE will support the campaign through its global media assets including TV, digital and social media. Several media partners have also made commitments to the Know Your Girls campaign prior to launch including Oath and Aspire TV.

“The Susan G Komen #KnowYourGirls campaign is not only hip, youthful and timely but it’s essentially very important for all women young and mature,” said actress and breast cancer survivor Vanessa Bell Calloway. “I’m so happy to be a part of this important campaign because as a breast cancer survivor I understand firsthand how important it is to know your girls literally and figuratively. Being in tuned with your girls can save your life. Know Your Girls can also mean know your real-life girlfriends and as a community of women help remind each other about the importance of breast health.”