[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 174 (Friday, October 26, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING SISTERS' JOURNEY AS THEY CELEBRATE THEIR 20TH ANNIVERSARY

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                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 26, 2018

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is my great privilege to rise today to 
extend my heartfelt congratulations to Sisters' Journey as they mark 
the 20th anniversary of this remarkable organization. A faith-based 
breast cancer support and advocacy group, Sisters' Journey began as a 
personal journey and continues today as a labor of love.
  After being diagnosed with breast cancer, Linda White-Epps felt the 
fear and frustration so many do when facing breast cancer. She knew she 
needed to heal not only her body but her soul and searched for others 
who could relate to what she was experiencing. It was through this 
search that she educated herself on the disease as well as the health 
disparities that existed. African-American women are statistically more 
likely to die from breast cancer than other ethnic groups and they are 
diagnosed at younger ages and often with a more aggressive form of the 
disease. Linda also met more women than she ever imagined that were 
experiencing similar journeys and that there was an unspoken but agreed 
to code of silence that needed to be broken. It was from all this that 
Sisters' Journey was born.
  Linda began with a calendar created to break the silence among women 
of color with twelve women sharing their stories of hope and survival. 
Twenty years later, nearly two-hundred and fifty courageous women have 
given hope and inspiration to women and their families facing a breast 
cancer diagnosis. Sisters' Journey has grown and become an invaluable 
resource of support and advocacy. Monthly support groups meetings are 
held at a church parish hall; events include annual survivor cook-outs, 
a Christmas Party, and a Mother/Daughter ``know your family history'' 
brunch; and educational outreach programs include beauty shop chats, 
participation in community parades, as well as school programs for 
children from elementary through college. And, of course, there is the 
annual Pink Tea, an event which has grown to include hundreds of 
family, friends, and supporters, where the annual calendar is revealed.
  Linda White-Epps survived for twelve years before succumbing to a 
recurrence in 2003. Sisters' Journey and her legacy was carried on by 
her mother, Phyllis White, until her passing in 2010. Today, it is 
Linda's daughter, Dawn White-Bracey, who carries on this labor of love. 
The celebration of Sisters' Journey's 20th calendar is not only a 
wonderful milestone for this incredible organization, but a celebration 
of the on-going legacy of Linda White-Epps and her remarkable journey. 
I consider myself fortunate to have known and worked with Linda, 
Phyllis, and now Dawn, and I am honored to call them friends. It is 
with the greatest admiration and my heartfelt congratulations that I 
rise today to extend Dawn and the Sisters' Journey family my very best 
wishes as they celebrate this very special occasion.

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