Powerful United Ladies Striving to Elevate invited Binghamton University students to Old Union Hall and reflect on the lived experience of those with breast cancer.

In collaboration with University student-run organizations and the Young Women’s Christian Association of Binghamton and Broome County, the community stood behind survivors and educated them on daily practices everyone can adopt to be aware of their health and get ahead of breast cancer.

“Our Breast Cancer Festival provides a strong foundation of support (from family, friends, and community), reminds people they are not alone, and allows women to come together to lift one another, thereby growing stronger together,” PULSE wrote in a statement to Pipe Dream. “It is also an opportunity to connect with like-minded campus organizations, learn facts about breast cancer you might not have known beforehand, and open a discussion that, all in all, spreads breast cancer awareness.”

PULSE is a nonprofit organization aiming to create inclusive and elevated spaces for women of color across the University’s campus. The organization was founded by Joanna Cardona-Lozada ‘03, a current senior academic counselor for the Educational Opportunity Program. What began as an idea between friends during the EOP Binghamton Enrichment Program led to a cross-campus movement leading to the club’s founding in the fall of 2007. This organization has been active on campus since and began hosting annual events like its Breast Cancer Festival.

For the 15th-annual rendition of this event, the theme was “Rooted In Resilience,” representing the strength of those who face this disease in their lives and the families that help ground them and support them through it. Briana Santana, treasurer of PULSE and a junior majoring in accounting, explained its mission of educating all populations that may be susceptible to breast cancer.

“We want to make sure that people are aware of this issue, that it can happen to younger women as well, not only older women.” Santana said. “And also give them the space to feel comfortable with self breast exams and also making their voices heard about breast cancer, so that we’re able to detect it early and prevent the negative consequences of breast cancer.”

Student organizations, including Corazoncitos, She’s the First, Girl Gains at BU, Charles Drew Minority Pre-Health Society and Candela: Latin Dance Club, tabled at the festival. Each table provided a variety of activities, including writing letters to child cancer patients, writing affirmations, lessons on self-breast examination, seed planting, wellness workshops, and bowling.

Valentina Sandoval, co-education coordinator and a junior majoring in social work, and Lizabeth Dadzie, PULSE’s historian and a junior majoring in psychology, led an informational session for attendees. Together, they explained the mission of this event and how breast cancer can disproportionately affect women of color.

“It was also recognized that breast cancer disproportionately impacts women of color, especially Black and Latina women, who face higher mortality rates, are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages and often receive less access to quality care and early detection services,” Sandoval said.

The outreach of the event extended to the local community, as Binghamton’s YWCA tabled and shared its ENCOREplus program. With the biggest obstacle facing this program being that women in the community are unaware of it, tabling at this event allowed the YWCA to bring awareness to its cause. ENCOREplus’ outreach director explained the nearly 20-year history of the program, which provides free transportation and free medical services to women with and without insurance through the YWCA.

ENCOREplus, which intends to break down barriers to access, aligns with the YWCA’s mission of empowering women, eliminating racism and providing justice and equity for all. The organization opened its Binghamton location in 1892 as a safe haven for working women. The organization has dedicated itself to improving the lives of women, partnering with a number of female-led organizations to uplift their voices and messages.

The festival blended lighthearted community building with the realities of those managing breast cancer in their daily lives. With education at the forefront of the conversation when it came to health and community involvement, PULSE worked to provide all attendees with helpful information to demystify these troubling realities. Alyssa Cook, a junior majoring in English and publication coordinator for PULSE, shared her personal connection to the event and the community the organization aims to foster.

“We just use this event as an opportunity to come together and lift one another up, no matter if you have it [or have] a family member who has it,” Cook said. “Me personally, I’m here honoring my own mom because she’s in stage one. She’s doing well now, and it’s just a reminder to stay mindful of what other people are going through and be that voice for them.”