By  Dianne Anderson

Not surprisingly, this weekend the Black History Parade and Cultural Faire promises all of the good food, choice retail vendors, great speakers, and everything else that the community has come to expect from their annual top of the line celebration, entertainment, and festivities.

But after the fun and games are over, folks may be surprised when they get home to find the most important stuff of it all.

Many vendors this month all across the nation will be taking advantage of parades and festivities to squeeze in healthy information that can potentially reach hundreds of thousands of spectators.

Ernesta Wright, executive director of the G.R.E.E.N Foundation, said she is excited to be handing out and talking to the community about the health resources and services she offers, including access to breast screening services.

“We take a very proactive approach in sharing the information, and we do follow-up after the Cultural Faire,” she said, adding that after the celebration, comes the real one-on-one work to get the clients to the resources.

In general, her awareness campaign is close to her heart. If she could only say one thing about breast cancer, she’d say it many times--early detection, early detection, early detection.

Mostly, she tries to get the word out that African American women are at risk for more aggressive forms of breast cancer that come at an earlier age. By the time Black women are diagnosed, it’s often at a later stage than white women.

“We are detected at a later stage, and because of that, their diagnosis are sometimes worse because of the age [factor],” she said.

“Early detection saves lives. If they don’t think of anything else, catch whatever you have at the early stage, the outcomes are much better,” Wright said.

Her organization is targeting cancer awareness and resources, but she will also be handing out and talking to the community about diabetes, the importance of cervical screenings, along overall health, wellness, nutrition and diet.

A big part of the message in her monthly workshops is letting women know that if they do not change their approach to life, diet, exercise, cancer is at higher risk of returning. She said that the patient must reflect on what caused their illness, such as the way they handle stress or diet.

“If anything has not changed, it’s [the cancer is] going to come back, either cervical or in another form,” she said. “I want your life to be different. Something has to be different.”

The foundation also partners with Susan B. Koman for the Cure and breast cancer awareness projects. In the past year, Wright’s group has hosted its ActNOW African American Cancer Care conferences in Los Angeles, Moreno Valley and Oakland.

Sponsored by the Orange County Heritage Council, the February 4 downtown Anaheim Black History Parade this year spotlights major talent, including the spoken word, 513 Elevators, Phil Gates, Kiki Shepard, comedian Lester Barrie, Oscar Snow, singer Mykenzie Ward, Leeah D (Miss Expo), Kim Harrell, Venson Quarles, teen sensation ChyAnne, church choirs, the  Anaheim High School Cheerleaders.

Among the many participating churches, and nonprofits, participants include the New Spirit Baptist Church, Christ Our Redeemer AME, Orange County NCNW, Old School Revisited, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Graceland Community Baptist Church, Reach Community Church, 100 Black Men of Orange County, the local branch NAACP, Santa Ana Black Historical Society, Greater Light Missionary Baptist Church, Leon Owens Foundation, James S Stapleton Foundation, Word of Faith Pentecostal Church, The Sickle Cell Foundation of Orange County, Grand Divas MC, Black in OC, Black Business Network of Orange County and many more.

Malika Rahmaan with the Audasity of Hope is also participating in the Cultural Faire, and is partnering with the Red Cross with her outreach preparedness awareness program.

She said the Black History event is a great place to reach a lot of people at one time with resources. The need is there, and people are hungry for health and wellness awareness and information.

Rahmaan, a long time member of the NAACP, said three years ago one of the largest turnouts they’ve had in Orange County was at the NAACP health symposium. Then, eight different organizations came together around the dire state of health issues to inundate the Black community, and solutions.

Across the board, from cancer to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack to stroke and HIV/AIDS, African Americans continue to dominate medical headlines with double and triple the incidence of death and disease.

“Our community is out of control on the health issue, and nothing is being resolved as we go forward. All of the providers are getting rich from operating, and cutting on us,” Rahmaan said.

Going forward, she said unless groups step up their push for a healthy community, Black history will tell a different story.

“Just to be involved and know the urgency for us to start protecting ourselves with eating right and living right, and drinking the right water, it is essential for us to live,” she said.

For more information, see http://www.thegreenfoundation.net or email: thegreenfoundation3@yahoo.com