Mathew Knowles spreads prostate cancer awareness to Black and underserved communities
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Mathew Knowles partners with ZERO Prostate Cancer to launch a $20 million initiative called "Blitz The Barriers" aimed at combating prostate cancer in underserved communities.
The initiative seeks to address the disproportionate impact of prostate cancer on Black men, who are twice as likely to die from the disease compared to white men.
Knowles, a cancer survivor himself, will serve as a global ambassador for the project, leveraging his platform to raise awareness and advocate for early detection and treatment.
"Blitz The Barriers" will focus on 12 high-risk communities across the U.S., employing grassroots outreach strategies to reach Black men and break down barriers to health care access.
Mathew Knowles is continuing his advocacy and fight against cancer, teaming up with national nonprofit ZERO Prostate Cancer for a new initiative to save lives, specifically in underserved communities.
This Black History Month and Cancer Prevention Month, ZERO Prostate Cancer announced the launch of $20 million initiative "Blitz the Barriers." And the music executive and father of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles is serving as its global ambassador.
The new project will fight prostate cancer through outreach, public health interventions and support services. It aims to tackle prostate cancer deaths specifically in Black men and underserved communities. Over the next decade, "Bltiz The Barriers" aims to save 100,000 lives across 12 of the highest risk urban and rural communities, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Detroit and Houston.
"The challenges posed by prostate cancer are too significant to ignore, especially incommunities where mistrust, stigma or limited resources have hindered access to life-savingeducation and care," says Courtney Bugler, ZERO Prostate Cancer president and CEO.
Both Bugler and Knowles say their own experiences with cancer have fueled them in helping others and bringing greater awareness to prostate cancer.
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"When we look at the Black and brown community, we're often left behind," Knowles says. "And this is an amazing opportunity for us to use technology, for us to go back to basic grassroots, back to barber shops, churches, fraternities, and really spread the word out there. When we say 'Blitz the Barriers,' we're talking football. We're about to blitz. We come in with everything we have."
Research shows prostate is the second leading cause of cancer death for men in America, killing twice as many Black men than white men in the U.S.
In October, Knowles announced a partnership with DNA and genetic testing company 23andMe to advocate for proactive health measures against cancer.
Knowles, who is now cancer-free, first announced his diagnosis in 2019. He was diagnosed with stage 1A breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy to remove his left breast. In 2020, he penned an op-ed for USA TODAY detailing his journey and diagnosis.
Founded in 1996, ZERO Prostate Cancer has been dedicated to improving and saving lives affected by prostate cancer through advocacy, education, awareness and support.
"This is going to be a really exciting initiative, and we look forward to the coming years," Bugler says. "We're really trying to move to a world where there's zero stigma and zero barriers to surviving prostate cancer."
Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
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