American Cancer Society
Join the VOICES of Black Women Study
Help build the largest health dataset ever dedicated to Black women. Free, online, observational — no drugs or tests. Black women ages 20–60 who have never been diagnosed with cancer. 94,000 more women are needed.
Contact: thevoices@cancer.org · (800) 494-4113
Dr. Opal Lee: The Walk That Never Ends
A Voice Up Public Health & Human Rights Case Study · From Civil Rights to Cancer Research
Voice Up Public Health & Human Rights Internship
An 8-week practicum using Dr. Opal Lee's life as a blueprint — developing skills in disparities analysis, trust-building, campaign design, and grassroots advocacy for the VOICES of Black Women study.
Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free
Written by Alice Faye Duncan · Art by Keturah A. Bobo
The true story of the Grandmother of Juneteenth — a beautifully illustrated children's book by New York Times bestselling illustrator Keturah A. Bobo. Essential reading for understanding the legacy this case study is built on.
Buy on AmazonSource: NBC DFW · Published June 19, 2026 · 5:13
Humility
We all have much to learn
Empathy
We must understand your why
Precision
All the details matter
Patience
We all need forgiveness
Collaboration
All are welcome
Step 1 of 10
Overview
At 99 years old and approaching her 100th birthday, Dr. Opal Lee — the "Grandmother of Juneteenth" — has spent nearly a century proving that purpose does not expire and that the fight for freedom is never finished. It simply changes form. Born in Marshall, Texas, in 1926, she survived a mob that destroyed her family's home on Juneteenth 1939. She spent 24 years as a teacher and counselor. She walked from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C. at age 89 to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. She stood beside President Biden as he signed it into law. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. And now, having survived breast cancer herself, she is lending her voice to the most ambitious public health study ever dedicated to Black women: the American Cancer Society's VOICES of Black Women, which seeks to enroll 100,000 Black women to close the research gap that has left an entire population underrepresented in the science that determines who lives and who dies. This case study examines Dr. Lee's life as a blueprint for sustained purpose — and challenges you to connect her journey to the public health crisis facing Black women today, the principles of Voice Up, and your own role in closing the gap.
The Mission
Help enroll 100,000 Black women in the largest health study ever dedicated to their survival
The Trailblazer
Dr. Opal Lee — 99 years old, Presidential Medal of Freedom, cancer survivor, walking proof that purpose never expires
VOICES of Black Women — American Cancer Society
Free, observational, online. No drugs or tests. Black women ages 20–60.
Contact: thevoices@cancer.org · (800) 494-4113
Competencies Developed
Byron Allen: Media Ownership, Economic Power & the Real Meaning of Freedom
In this Juneteenth special, Don Lemon sits down with media mogul Byron Allen for a powerful conversation about why Black communities must own the platforms that tell their stories, and how economic exclusion — not just social prejudice — is the unfinished business of Juneteenth.
Source: The Don Lemon Show · Published June 19, 2026 · 47:36
Reflection Questions
- "It's About Green, Not Black or White": Byron Allen argues that slavery and modern inequality are fundamentally about economics — who controls capital and who profits from someone else's labor. How does reframing racial injustice as an economic system change how you understand the gap between Juneteenth's promise and today's reality? Where do you see this economic logic operating in your field?
- Ownership vs. Participation: Allen distinguishes between being in media and owning media. In your field — social work, education, healthcare, or technology — where is the line between being invited to the table and owning it? What would ownership look like in your professional context?
- Excellence as a Product of Resistance: Allen states that surviving centuries of enslavement is itself proof of excellence, and uses Tiger Woods and the Williams sisters as examples of resistance producing greatness. How does this connect to Voice Up's belief that lived experience — including hardship — is a form of expertise with economic value?
- Controlling the Narrative: Don Lemon opens by saying whoever "writes the first draft of history" holds the power. In the context of AI — where training data determines which stories get told and whose expertise gets recognized — who is writing the first draft of your community's story, and what would it take to change that?
- The Economic Promise of Juneteenth: If Juneteenth represents the announcement of political freedom, what would the equivalent announcement for economic freedom look like today? What tools, platforms, or systems — including the AI economy — could serve as a modern "General Order No. 3" for economic inclusion?