Melanin & Pink Ribbons

October 1, 2026

Five years ago, I pressed publish.

I didn’t know exactly where this blog would take me. I only knew I had something to say, something to share, and a deep desire to make sure Black women fighting and surviving breast cancer knew they were not alone.

Today, Melanin & Pink Ribbons: A Blog for Black Women Fighting & Surviving Breast Cancer turns FIVE.

And I am grateful.

Five years of stories.

Five years of advocacy.

Five years of education, encouragement, reflection, and truth-telling.

Five years of creating a space where Black women can see themselves, hear themselves, and know that their breast cancer experiences matter.

What started as a blog has become so much more.

My words have traveled farther than I ever imagined.

Over the past 12 months alone, this blog has received more than 1,972 views.

And those readers aren’t only in the United States.

USA. China. Nigeria. South Africa. Bangladesh.

Different countries. Different cultures. Different experiences.

But somewhere, a woman is reading.

Maybe she has just heard the words, “You have breast cancer.”

Maybe she’s sitting in the waiting room.

Maybe she’s navigating treatment.

Maybe she’s finished treatment and wondering what comes next.

Maybe she’s years into survivorship and still carrying questions nobody prepared her to ask.

Wherever she is, I want her to know this:

You matter. Your voice matters. Your questions matter. Your survival matters.

And I will continue to write with Black women in mind because representation matters.

We deserve breast cancer information that speaks to us.

We deserve conversations that acknowledge our experiences.

We deserve advocacy that doesn’t disappear when October ends.

And we deserve spaces where our stories aren’t an afterthought.

I am both a survivor and an advocate. That means this work is personal.

Ten years after my own breast cancer diagnosis, I understand that survivorship isn’t simply about reaching the other side of treatment.

It is about what we do with what we have learned.

For me, I write.

I write because I believe words can educate.

Words can encourage.

Words can challenge.

Words can remind a woman that she isn’t walking this road alone.

So, five years later, my commitment remains unchanged.

I will continue showing up for Black women fighting and surviving breast cancer.

I will continue asking questions.

I will continue sharing information.

I will continue telling stories.

I will continue creating resources.

And I will continue using my voice to help the women coming behind me.

To every woman who has read a post, shared a post, commented, encouraged me, sent someone my way, or simply stopped long enough to read:

Thank you.

You are part of this story.

Five years.

Nearly 2,000 views in the past year.

Readers reaching across borders.

And a mission that continues to grow.

Melanin & Pink Ribbons is five.

And I’m not finished.

There is still work to do.

— Cynthia Smalls
Founder, Melanin & Pink Ribbons
Author • Speaker • Breast Cancer Survivor & Advocate