Health

Cierra Sisters: Breaking the Cycle of Fear for Women with Breast Cancer

Published

11 years ago

May 16, 2015

Bridgette Hempstead, founder and president of Cierra Sisters, a breast cancer awareness and support group for African American women, looks to educate and empower men and women about the realities of breast cancer in the African American community. (Chris B. Bennett/The Seattle Medium)

By Chris Bennett
Special to the NNPA from The Seattle Medium

Three days after being diagnosed with breast cancer on her 35th birthday Bridgette Hempstead, the mother of three daughters and a two-time breast cancer survivor, laid the foundation for a grassroots organization that has played an important role in educating, empowering and supporting African American women who have been diagnosed with cancer and cancer survivors.

Hempstead’s organization, Cierra Sisters, is dedicated to help break the cycle of fear and increase knowledge about breast cancer in the African American and underserved communities locally and nationwide.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers that occur in African American women, and ranks 2nd in all cancer-related deaths among African American women – who often receive a diagnosis in the late stages of the disease.

After her first diagnosis with cancer, Hempstead realized that there was a lack of information, education and resources targeting African American women as it relates to breast cancer and overnight she literally became one of the biggest advocates for women of color in the Seattle area.

“Right after my diagnosis I went on a very strong quest to start educating my friends, my family, and people in the community, and that was three days after my diagnosis before I even went in to have my initial surgery,” said Hempstead.

After her initial surgery and getting through that process, Hempstead’s doctors noticed her strength, courage and how she kept her fight with breast cancer into a proper perspective.

“My doctors were saying you’re really powerful, you’re not afraid, and you’re going through this head-on and they were saying that everybody doesn’t react like this and would you please start talking to the women,” recalled Hempstead.

According to Hempstead, the doctors started referring patients to her, and she began organizing the women to support each other through a buddy system.

“By the sixth month it was too many women coming to me, so we started to meet at [a local coffee house],” said Hempstead. “By that time I was so knowledgeable about the treatments, different options and how important it was to have a support it just started to develop into what Cierra Sisters is today.”

According to Hempstead, they choose the name Cierra because it is an African word that means knowing, and it also meant the color of brown – which represents the communities that they serve.

“I interpreted it as, if you have knowledge you have the power to fight against the effects of breast cancer,” said Hempstead.

Today, the organization, which operates on a very limited budget, has created awareness about the disease in underserved communities that, according to some cancer advocates, is unmatched by larger organizations with much larger budgets. The organization holds monthly meetings at the Rainier Beach Community Center, where they share information, help members create wellness plans, listen to guest speakers, and provide general and personal support for one another.

Despite being the public face of the organization as both the founder and president, Hempstead is not alone in her advocacy, and readily admits that the true strength of the organization lies within its members, who are dedicated to sharing their experiences and empowering others with the knowledge, strength and support to battle cancer. In addition to attending monthly meetings, members volunteer to help each other by driving other cancer patients to appointments, provide food, help clean the house of members who aren’t able to do so, and raising emergency funds for members when needed. They also provide information on restoring their finances after cancer, and end of life support for members and their families.

“You’d be surprised what can make a difference in somebody’s life,” said Hempstead. “It’s life-saving because the more support that you get and if you’re in a supportive community that’s going to embrace you your survival rate and your outcome will be so much better than someone who has no support.”

Valerie Dean, a member of Cierra Sisters who has been cancer free for 9 years, is grateful for the support that she received from the organization after she was diagnosed with cancer. According to Dean, the support that she received from the organization and its members played a significant role in helping her deal with her cancer and enjoy life after cancer.

Dean, like most people after initially being diagnosed with cancer, was afraid and “needed a lot of support.” In Cierra Sisters she found an organization that was full of love and support in more ways than she could imagine.

“Cancer affects the entire family, not just the one person,” says Dean. “It’s very expensive to have cancer and insurance does not cover everything.”

“This is a place where you can get genuine love and support,” she continued. “They are up on the latest and greatest cancer initiatives. They teach you how to eat, how to exercise and how to make your life better after cancer.”

According to Dean, the organization brought in a lot of experts to talk about a variety of issues at their monthly meetings. In addition, the members helped her ask the right questions of her doctors and to become mentally strong enough to overcome all aspects that people fighting cancer have to deal with.

“They recommended all the right doctors for me,” says Dean. “They recommended my gynecologist, my surgeon and my naturopath.”

While it may seem that the organization deals mainly with breast cancer patients and survivors, they are also very focused on education, prevention and early detection. Hempstead’s own story of survival is based on early detection and being very proactive with her doctor. She has also seen people die from cancer because they either were not diagnosed properly, early enough or in some cases were discouraged from being tested because they were younger than the age range that doctors general use to perform tests.

“My doctor didn’t even want to give me a mammogram because I was too young,” recalled Hempstead, who says that waiting until she reached the recommended time table for testing would have been a death sentence for her. “Since we know that some of the doctors are not as proactive as they should be, then you have to be proactive for yourself.”

Being diagnosed with cancer is not a death sentence, but Hempstead is quick to point out that people do die. However, she believes that living life is just as important as medication and treatment when it comes to dealing and overcoming cancer.

“I believe that when you’re diagnosed with any type of disease it’s almost an eye-opener that we are not immortal,” says Hempstead. “Some women in the past have been so afraid they don’t even want to go out and socialize anymore.”

“We want to be able to give these women the tools to go out and socialize,” she continued. “Go out and live your life and look at each day as an opportunity to make a difference in your own life and be able to make a difference in someone else’s life.”

Two years ago Hempstead had a recurrence of her disease, but her knowledge and resilience helped her overcome the disease again and served as a reminder that the fight against cancer is not just a process, it is also a lifestyle.

“It’s important to make sure you have the proper minerals in your body. I take more vitamins than I due medication, I only have one medication that I take,” says Hempstead. “Cancer works best in a weak immune system. It’s very important make sure you are eating the right things because you don’t want to eat something that going to help to promote the growth of the cancer.”

The influence of Cierra Sisters stretches far beyond the Puget Sound Area, Hempstead says that she gets calls from people from other states and has even housed some women who have come to Seattle for treatment. They are currently working on establishing chapters/relationships as far away as Africa.

While the name implies that the organization only serves women, anyone, male or female, who has had any type of cancer, is a relative of someone with cancer or just wants to be an advocate/supporter is encouraged to join.

“I’ve lived by faith for a long time and put a lot of my own personal funds into Cierra Sisters,” says Hempstead. “When you have organizations like Cierra Sisters and other organizations that are doing this type of work, it’s not hard work, it’s heart work. Its something you do because you have a love for the people.”

“It’s about building the relationship so that someone is going to trust that you are going to give them the best information, and that you’re going to support them through their medical crisis,” she added. “We’re here to share that information and share it freely.”

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COMMENTARY: The Biases We Don’t See — Preventing AI-Driven Inequality in Health Care

For decades, medicine promoted false assumptions about Black bodies. Black patients were told they had lower lung capacity, and medical devices adjusted their results accordingly. That practice was not broadly reversed until 2021. Up until 2022, a common medical formula used to measure how well a person’s kidneys were working automatically gave Black patients a higher score simply because they were Black. On paper, this made their kidneys appear healthier than they truly were. As a result, kidney disease was sometimes detected later in Black patients, delaying critical treatment and referrals.

Published

12 hours ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, M.D (D-San Diego). File photo.

By Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, M.D., Special to California Black Media Partners

Technology is sold to us as neutral, objective, and free of human flaws. We are told that computers remove emotion, bias, and error from decision-making. But for many Black families, lived experience tells a different story. When technology is trained on biased systems, it reflects those same biases and silently carries them forward.

We have seen this happen across multiple industries. Facial recognition software has misidentified Black faces at far higher rates than White faces, leading to wrongful police encounters and arrests. Automated hiring systems have filtered out applicants with traditionally Black names because past hiring data reflected discriminatory patterns. Financial algorithms have denied loans or offered worse terms to Black borrowers based on zip codes and historical inequities, rather than individual creditworthiness. These systems did not become biased on their own. They were trained on biased data.

Healthcare is not immune.

These biases were not limited to software or medical devices. Dangerous myths persisted that Black people feel less pain, contributing to undertreatment and delayed care. These beliefs were embedded in modern training and practice, not distant history. Those assumptions shaped the data that now feeds medical technology. When biased clinical practices form the basis of algorithms, the risk is not hypothetical. The bias can be learned, automated, and scaled.

For us in the Black community, this creates understandable fear and mistrust. Many families already carry generational memories of medical discrimination, from higher maternal mortality to lower life expectancy to being dismissed or unheard in clinical settings. Adding AI biases could make our community even more apprehensive about the healthcare system.

As a physician, I know how much trust patients place in the healthcare system during their most vulnerable moments. As a Black woman, I understand how bias can shape experiences in ways that are often invisible to those who do not live them. As a mother of two Black children, I think constantly about the systems that will shape their health and well-being. As a legislator, I believe it is our responsibility to confront emerging risks before they become widespread harm.

That is why I am the author of Senate Bill (SB) 503. This bill aims to regulate the use of artificial intelligence in healthcare by requiring developers and users of AI systems to identify, mitigate, and monitor biased impacts in their outputs to reduce racial and other disparities in clinical decision-making and patient care.

Currently under consideration in the State Assembly, SB 503 was not written to slow innovation. In fact, I encourage it. But it is our duty must ensure that every tool we in the healthcare field helps patients rather than harms them.

The health of our families depends on it.

About the Author

Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D–San Diego) is a physician and public health advocate representing California’s 39th Senate District.

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As California Hits Aging Milestone, State Releases Its Fifth Master Plan for Aging

“California’s Master Plan for Aging started a powerful movement that is shaping the future of aging in our state for generations to come,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement, calling the initiative a “future-forward” model delivering real results for older adults, people with disabilities, and their families.

Published

1 day ago

February 9, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

On Jan. 27, California released its Fifth Master Plan for Aging Annual Report,titled “Focusing on What Matters Most,” outlining the state’s progress and priorities as its population rapidly grows older.

The report, issued by the California Health and Human Services Agency (CalHHS), provides updates on the Master Plan for Aging’s “Five Bold Goals”: housing, health, inclusion and equity, caregiving, and affordability.

The report comes as Californians aged 60 and older now outnumber those under 18 for the first time, a demographic shift expected to accelerate over the next decade.

Launched in 2021, the Master Plan for Aging takes a “whole-of- government” and “whole-of-society” approach, coordinating state agencies, local governments, community organizations, and private partners. The annual report highlights significant milestones, including more than 100 California communities joining AARP’s Age-Friendly Network and $4 million in state funding awarded to local organizations to develop aging and disability action plans in 30 communities statewide.

The report also underscores California’s leadership at the national level, noting that dozens of states have followed its example and that federal legislation inspired by the plan was reintroduced in the U.S. Senate in December 2025.

CalHHS Secretary Kim Johnson emphasized the plan’s focus on equity and resilience amid ongoing challenges.

“The Master Plan for Aging continues to provide a vision, a focus, and a platform for collaboration,” Johnson said. “Equity is at the center of all that we do.”

Looking ahead, the report notes that by 2030, one in four Californians will be age 60 or older, positioning the Master Plan for Aging as a central framework for meeting the state’s long-term social, economic, and health needs.

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Candidates Vying for Governor’s Seat Debate at Ruth Williams–Bayview Opera House in San Francisco

The gubernatorial debate participants included Antonio Villaraigosa, former Los Angeles mayor; Matt Mahan, San Jose mayor; Betty Yee, former California state controller; Xavier Becerra, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and attorney general of California; Steve Hilton, political commentator and political adviser; Tom Steyer, entrepreneur, and Tony Thurmond, California’s superintendent of public instruction.

Published

1 day ago

February 9, 2026

Oakland Post

The gubernatorial debate was hosted by KTVU’s Greg Lee, KTTV’s Marla Tellez and KTVU’s Andre Senior. The candidates are (l.-r.): Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton, Matt Mahan, Tom Steyer, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa, and Betty Yee.

By Carla Thomas

On Tuesday, Feb. 3, seven candidates took the stage at the historic Ruth Williams–Bayview Opera House in San Francisco for the gubernatorial debate, hosted by the Black Action Alliance (BAA) in partnership with KTVU and sister station KTTV Fox 11 in Los Angeles.

For many voters, it marked a first opportunity to hear directly from several candidates seeking to lead the nation’s most populous state.

Crucial topics and issues addressed throughout the debate included housing, crime, immigration, climate change, health care and homelessness.

The debate was moderated by KTVU political reporter Greg Lee alongside KTVU’s Andre Senior and KTTV Fox 11’s Marla Tellez.

Candidates also addressed inflation and the rising costs across the state, impacting everything from groceries to childcare and health care.

Thurmond vowed to generate 2.3 million units of housing by placing 12 units on each parcel of available land in the 58 counties of California. Steyer agreed that billionaires should pay their fair share of taxes.

Hilton wanted to cut taxes, help working-class families, and end the Democrats “climate crusade and insane regulations.”

Yee offered a more transparent governmental approach with accountability, given the state’s debt.

Gonzalez said, “This debate was a great way to see who has great ideas and who has substance.”

“It’s important to have the debate within a community that requires the most,” said business leader Linda Fadekye.

Attendees included State Controller Malia Cohen, representatives of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the National Coalition of 100 Black Men, the San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce, and Black Women Organized for Political Action, among others.

Event host, the Black Action Alliance (BAA) was established to amplify the voices of the Bay Area’s Black community, whose perspectives have too often been overlooked in politics and public policy.

Loren Taylor, CEO of BAA, said it was important to bring the event to the Bayview in San Francisco and shared his organization’s mission.

“The Black Action Alliance (BAA) stands for practical, community-driven solutions that strengthen public safety, address homelessness, support small businesses, expand affordable housing, and ensure access to quality education—issues at the heart of the Black experience in the Bay Area,” said Taylor.

California’s primary election will take place on June 2 and the general election will take place on Nov. 3.