Exhibit
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Washington, DC, but the burden is not shared equally. Stark racial and geographic disparities persist—Black residents face the highest mortality rates, and those in Wards 1, 7, and 8 experience the greatest incidence and loss. Beyond the numbers, cancer leaves behind stories—of diagnosis, of caregiving, of grief, of survival—stories that are often missing from public health data but deeply felt in communities.
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This exhibit is a space to witness those stories. Through poetry, visual storytelling, and community voices, Cancer Lore captures the lived realities of those impacted by cancer in DC. Inspired by Audre Lorde’s call to transform silence into language and action, this collection brings to light experiences too often overlooked in clinical and policy discussions.
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Take your time. Read. Reflect. Let these words and images guide you through the injustices, histories, and personal narratives that shape cancer in our city. This exhibit is not just a presentation—it is an act of remembrance, resistance, and truth-telling.
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"Thank you God. Thank you for the healing, Thank you God I know you have given me the forces of the universe to help me heal. I am a child of God. I am a child of the universe.
I attend to the trees and the stars and the universe is all going to be healed---"
Dr. Dorothy Doyle Harrison
War Music, 2012
Recording from Masterpiece Theater, Cassette Tape
Dr. Dorothy Doyle Harrison was a pioneer and innovator of health justice in Washington, D.C.—a retired professor of Howard University College of Medicine in the Department of Family Medicine, and a visionary in nursing, international public health, research, and biofeedback/energy medicine. A true Harlem Renaissance woman, she was also a writer, pianist, and gifted artist/photographer.
Among those who knew her, Dr. Harrison’s legacy lives on not just through her academic and clinical achievements, but through the lore she created in her own healing journey. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, she turned inward, drawing from ancestral wisdom, somatic practice, and spiritual strength. Before undergoing surgery, she created a healing tool she called War Music Mantra—a single phrase of music, played 53 times, recorded onto a cassette tape in 2012.
The music, drawn from Masterpiece Theatre, became a ritual: she listened to it twice a day. With each session, she closed her eyes, visualized the cancer in her breast, and marched it out of her body by rhythmically pumping her right-fisted arm to the beat. At the end of the music, she would pray a mantra. She called the tape War Music—a personal medicine, a battle cry, and a meditation on healing all in one.
Today, the War Music Mantra endures as part of her living memory—a testament to the sacred power of embodied resistance and self-healing in the face of disease.
Sally Squires
Cancer Death Rates Still Loom, 1990
Archived Washington Post Article, Print
Michael Abramowitz
DC Becomes Cancer Capitol, 1989
Archived Washington Post Article, Print
In 1989, The Washington Post declared that D.C. had become the “Cancer Capital of the U.S.” At the time, cancer death rates in the District were a third higher than the national average, with nearly 200 excess deaths each year. Black men in D.C. suffered the highest cancer mortality rates of any major U.S. city—349 per 100,000—far exceeding the rates in New York, Atlanta, or Detroit. The disparities extended to Black women and even to white residents, with breast cancer mortality for both Black and white women the highest in the country. Experts pointed to limited access to health care and screenings, high rates of smoking and alcohol use, poor diet, and possible environmental exposures. Yet even as officials acknowledged the problem, city funding for cancer prevention and screening was strikingly low.
More than three decades later, not enough has changed. Despite advances in medicine and public health, the same racial disparities in cancer deaths persist in Washington, D.C. Preventable cancers still take a disproportionate toll on Black residents, and systemic barriers—unequal access to early detection, treatment, and prevention—remain in place. The crisis declared in 1989 was not a passing headline but a long-standing failure of public health systems to respond to deep-rooted inequities. The city’s cancer burden, particularly among Black communities, continues to reflect a larger story about who gets care, who gets ignored, and what it takes to make real change.
Performance
Poetry has the power to name injustices, honor resilience, and imagine new possibilities. Tonight’s performance, led by the American Poetry Museum, emerges from a workshop series where participants explored cancer, health injustices, and the hope that carries us forward.
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These poems are more than a humanistic expression—they are evidence. They document the lived realities of illness, the failures of systems meant to heal, and the ways communities create care in the absence of justice. In public health, data often drives decision-making, but stories like these are just as critical. They reveal the human impact behind the numbers, exposing the structural violence that shapes who gets sick, who gets treated, and who gets left behind.
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Yet, within these words, there is also hope. Hope found in resistance, in storytelling, in the act of coming together to name harm and dream of healing. Poetry reminds us that transformation begins with truth, and tonight, we honor those truths through the voices that bring them to life.
We share with you a poem that was collaboratively created through this workshop series:
Panel
Stories shape the way we understand the human experience. Our panelists—scholars, practitioners, and advocates—bring not only data and expertise but also the lived narratives of the communities they serve. Through their work in public health, service, and research, they illuminate the structural forces that shape well-being and push us to reimagine a world where care is not a privilege, but a right.
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Their insights bridge disciplines to challenge dominant narratives and center the voices too often left out of decision-making. In doing so, they remind us that health is not just about medicine—it is about power, story, and the systems we create to uphold or dismantle inequity.
We are honored to have them share their wisdom and vision with us today. Please join us in recognizing our panelists for their invaluable contributions to this conversation and to the broader movement for the medical humanities and health justice.
Finnie Richardson
PhD, MPH
Allison Dowling
JD
Wayne Lawrence
DrPH, MPH
Mika Sovak
MD
Maranda Ward
EdD, MPH
Partners
This event would not have been possible without the input, dedication, leadership, and unwavering support of our incredible partners. Their commitment to the medical humanities in advancing health justice and creating spaces for meaningful dialogue has helped shape not only this gathering but the larger movement toward equitable care and systemic change.
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From the early stages of planning to the execution of today’s program, our partners have played a crucial role in ensuring that every voice is heard, every perspective valued, and every barrier to progress challenged. Their expertise, resources, and passion have strengthened our collective impact, making this event more than just a moment—it’s a catalyst for transformation.
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Their efforts remind us that change is not a solo endeavor but a shared mission, driven by the belief that health is a human right.​ Please join us in celebrating our partners and the essential work they do every day to build a more just and healthy world.
Take Action
U.S. Senators: Vote NO on cuts to Medicaid
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Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to advance a bill that will drastically cut Medicaid.
The bill heads to the U.S. Senate next, where we have another chance to make our voices heard and urge our lawmakers to oppose cuts to Medicaid. Medicaid provides critical health insurance to children, seniors in nursing homes, veterans, people with disabilities, and other low-income individuals in America. One in three children diagnosed with cancer in America relies on Medicaid for their healthcare. >> Send your message now and help protect Medicaid for future generations!
Volunteer with American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) DMV​
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