Mary J. Blige teams up with Jill Biden to support cancer research

Mary J. Blige joined Jill Biden and the American Cancer Society to announce national conversations on breast and cervical cancer.

The Biden administration’s initiative to spur prevention and treatment of cancer got a dose of celebrity support earlier this week, when singer Mary J. Blige joined Jill Biden and the American Cancer Society to announce national meetings on breast and cervical cancer.

The cancer organization pledged to run the events after President Joe Biden and the first lady resurrected the “cancer moonshot” initiative this year. The program provides more money for research to “help us end cancer as we know it. For good.”

R&B superstar Blige said she lost aunts and other family members to breast, cervical and lung cancer. She has promoted breast cancer screening in the past, especially among Black women who are disproportionately affected, through the Black Women’s Health Imperative.

First lady Jill Biden, right, holds hands with singer Mary J. Blige during an event to launch the American Cancer Society's national roundtables on breast and cervical cancer in the State Dining Room of the White House, on Monday.Patrick Semansky / APBlige blamed misconceptions about mammograms among Black women and “the practice of not wanting other people in our business” for disparities in breast cancer outcomes between Blacks and whites.

Blige said she is convinced that had her aunts, godmother and grandparents been informed about cancer, “they would have a different outcome today.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/mary-j-blige-teams-jill-biden-support-cancer-research-rcna54009

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