Breast cancer is an illness that affects many women and men year after year. A disease that
313,000 Americans have been diagnosed with this year alone, unfortunately, according to the American Cancer Society. Yet, Compton Unified School District member Satra Zurita and some residents of the city of Compton are looking to fight those odds and numbers by donating their time walking for a cure.
On Saturday October 5, Zurita and others will participate in the 13th annual Compton Walk For A Cure, at Centennial High School in the city of Compton. The yearly event began after Zurita, who worked in Compton City Hall at the time, noticed a woman upset over the fact her daughter was unable to graduate high school at the time.
“So this lady came to my job and she was really, really upset. Like, what is this about,” recalled Zurita. The CUSD board member learned of a deeper, more serious matter that was affecting the young girl and her schooling.
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“She told me that her daughter had been in and out of the hospital for the past year, and that she had missed the high school exit exam, the math portion, by one point. So, she had passed the other portions of the exit exam, but the math, she missed by one point,” Zurita said.
“So as a result, me and my sister said, ‘Well, we gotta do something about this.’ A lot of women, Black and Brown women, are dying from breast cancer, and a lot of times it’s just that they are afraid, you know, they’re paralyzed by fear. They can’t move. They know something’s wrong, but they don’t want to know what is wrong.”
The event highlights breast cancer awareness, prevention and care while getting the neighborhood out and about for a healthy walk at the same time. “We talk about early detection, the benefits of early detection, that’s what our walk focuses on,” Zurita explained.
“Early detection, right? That’s how we started it. It was a collaboration between me and my sister, the city and the school district. My sister had gotten elected, and she had only been there for three months, and so we had three months to plan the first one.”
While the first Compton Walk For A Cure included 350 participants, the event has seen up to 3,500 participants take part in the occasion. Even during COVID, the walk still took place because according to her, “COVID doesn’t stop cancer.”
“So we did a hybrid during COVID. Everybody was so afraid of everything. So, we had a drive-thru. And we had an on- site, small group. Then, we broadcasted, and did a virtual walk next year,” Zurita said.
“Then, we came back in year three, and we’ve been building back again. You know, not as many people were coming out and, you know, had a really detrimental impact on this community and most marginalized communities.”
The event is in partnership with various vendors such as St. John’s Community Health, who will hand out waterproof self-exam cards, and shipping company UPS, who will contribute by accepting applications and hiring for jobs on the spot. Lastly, Dr. Vinson Eugene Allen of Dusk to Dawn Urgent Care will conduct free onsite breast exams and ultrasounds.
Dr. Allen has helped many in the community become diagnosed even if they have yet to see a
doctor about breast cancer symptoms. “Over the course of the six or seven years that he’s participated, they found about 256 previously undiagnosed masses and referred women to go to their doctors to see what’s going on,” Zurita said. “So last year they did 78 ultrasounds, 58 breast exams and 236 people were examined. So, yeah, it’s truly a lifesaving event.”
The event is free, and donations are appreciated, but not required. All participates receive a free t-shirt. To sign up visit:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/13th-annual-compton-walk-for-a-cure-tickets-977822863507
