Our Health in Our Hands

Black Health Alliance

Campaign Strategy, Platform Development, Community Storytelling, Photography Direction, Social Campaign, Health & Wellness, Health Equity

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Encouraging early screening is not simply a matter of awareness. Within Black communities, conversations about cancer, self-examination, and body changes can be deeply personal and often unspoken.

Layered onto this are systemic realities: misdiagnoses, communication gaps, and a history of inequitable treatment that contribute to mistrust of healthcare systems. For many Black women, the emotional impact of diagnosis and treatment is compounded by identity shifts tied to hair loss, femininity, and cultural perceptions of strength. Support can feel inconsistent, and silence can feel safer than vulnerability.

Traditional prevention messaging would not resonate. A culturally grounded, community-centered approach was essential.

Challenge

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Humanity’s strategy began with listening.

We worked directly with eight Black women who were willing to share their lived experiences with cancer and early screening. Through in-depth interviews and collaborative writing sessions, we uncovered a recurring tension: strength had often meant enduring quietly. Yet silence can delay screening, isolate women during treatment, and perpetuate stigma.

From this insight, we developed the campaign platform:

Our Health in Our Hands

The platform reframes early screening as an act of empowerment rather than fear. It speaks to personal agency — taking ownership of one’s health — while also recognizing the collective role of community, conversation, and advocacy.

By positioning health as something held not in isolation but in shared responsibility, the campaign aimed to shift both mindset and behaviour.

Strategy

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The creative execution centered on authentic portraiture and first-person storytelling.

Humanity partnered closely with each storyteller to shape narratives that were honest, vulnerable, and grounded in lived truth. We oversaw the photography to ensure the experience felt safe and affirming, and that the final portraits reflected dignity and presence rather than clinical framing.

Each woman’s story was brought to life through social media posts featuring personal quotes, supported by a dedicated campaign microsite housing their full narratives. For the campaign launch, we designed large-scale posters that transformed the event space into a powerful visual testament to resilience and community.

The result was a campaign that felt human, not institutional. It amplified real voices rather than abstract messaging. And it helped create space for more open, informed conversations about early cancer screening within Black communities.

Creative

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