By Eliz Dowdy

The fifth annual “Real Men Wear Pink” concert hosted by the G.R.E.E.N Foundation was held over the weekend at Christ Our Redeemer (COR) AME Church in Irvine. The concert reminds men to be actively involved in the trauma of breast cancer in the lives of the women in their lives. It is a fund raiser to enable the G.R.E.E.N Foundation to continue its work of advocacy, education, and support for women and men caught in the undercurrent of breast cancer, yet having to function as though nothing is wrong in their lives.

Breast cancer in African American women takes a greater toll of fatalities than on women of other ethnicities. They are at the 55 percentile for late stage diagnosis, making the cure more elusive. In spite of the progress in the field of medical research, more women are succumbing to breast cancer. As a matter of fact, the late stage diagnosis has increased in the last fifteen years for African American women. While these statistics are alarming, it has given rise to community-based organizations such as the G.R.E.E.N Foundation stepping up and offering support, psychological, emotional and financial, to help families coping with cancers, specifically breast and now they have added prostate cancer to the list. Both cancers impact the African American community with greater loss of life.

The concert featured individual soloists Eddie Clark and Duane Williams. Clarke is music minister at Faith Apostolic Church in Fullerton. Williams has studied professionally; he attends Friendship Baptist Church in Yorba Linda.

Two great saxophonists added their skills to the mix. Donald Haynes, whose portfolio includes work with some of the musical giants, lends his talents to the music ministry at New Hope Presbyterian Church in Orange, and Dr. Alvin McKinney has worked with the Benny Hinn Ministries, the Morris Cerullo Ministries, Dr. Jamaal Bryant and Bishop Noel Jones; his specialty is gospel jazz.

Pastor Roland Pollard & Friends traveled from Sacramento to work with the group. The singers are ministers and pastors who take ministry outside the four walls of the church. Rounding out the men who spent their Sunday afternoon battling traffic on the freeways was the male chorus from Loveland Church in Ontario.

The host church for 2013’s concert will be New Hope Presbyterian Church.

Executive director of the G.R.E.E.N Foundation is Ernesta Wright.