The invitation:
I want to invite you to join us in an upcoming conversation about the project, where I will talk more about my partnership with CLC, and listen to your thoughts about what life on the cancer continuum is for our community.
During that conversation, and for the next few months, you will see an invitation from me to take part in a one-on-one conversation about how Black families/support systems navigate complicated medical, insurance, legal and other systems in support of their healing.
Throughout the project, you are welcomed to reach out to me with questions about the project, insights/thoughts/ideas via email at TheCookOut@estellalucia.com
Your collaboration:
You have probably heard this question before, someone with letters behind their name asking for your information, but never bringing it back to the community, or worse yet, telling half-truths about our experiences, half-truths that sometimes put unfair scrutiny on our communities, or take away services from us. Because griots are obligated to honor and protect the stories they gather and share, and I take all reasonable protective measures to make sure anyone who shares their story with me will see an honest reflection of their experiences. In the late spring or summer of 2025, I will be returning to the Twin Cities to host a series of “Data Cookouts”, where I will show you summaries of the stories we gathered from our interviews. These cookouts will not be just any boring research event. We are going to have good food, music, and dancing. Trust me, if you come, you will see why these cookouts will be diagnosed as “Triple Positive”--celebrating community, life, and a healthier future for everybody (the body that you have now, and the one you may be given later)! You might even see Lindy and I dancing to the Cameo song “Candy” or doing the Cha-Cha Slide!
Ready to join The Cookout and start sharing your voice and experience with Dr. Johnson? Click here to get the conversation started or email Dr. Johnson directly at TheCookOut@estellalucia.com
I see this project as just the beginning of my relationship with you, I am excited to see how our stories change the cancer landscape.
