CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A group called the Equity Alliance marched to the Montgomery County Election Commission during early voting to advocate for voter turnout and women's health access during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
For Conchetta Willis, the fight is personal. Her mother, Carolyn, died after battling breast cancer.
"She waited and waited until finally a cough that she couldn't put off anymore," Willis said.
Now that Willis has a daughter of her own, she is motivated to keep pushing.
"I want to make sure that I'm around when she graduates college, I'm around when she finds her career path," Willis said.
Willis says her mother's experience showed her how quickly a diagnosis can come too late — and that the barriers to care are not equal.
"Although we as Black women get the same diagnosis as white women, 40 percent of us don't have the same access," Willis said.
She says getting care in Montgomery County can also mean traveling far outside the area.
"That's an hour and 20 minutes just to get to the outskirts of Davidson County. And so you take that coupled with having to go through something like chemo or radiation. We need that here at home," Willis said.
Austin Peay nursing student Priya Patel says unreliable transportation creates its own barrier to care.
"You have to wait for like one or two hours for your next bus stop. You need more better transportation and better resource locally," Patel said.
The Equity Alliance brought community members together to write postcards and make phone calls to voters ahead of the election.
"Remember the gift of your voice — use it and vote," one organizer said.
Willis also wants women to advocate for themselves when it comes to their own health.
"We know our bodies. We know who we are on the inside and how we're supposed to feel. Push back, believe in that intuition. Get a second opinion. That's the main thing. Get a second opinion," Willis said.
Willis hopes the message reaches women who are putting everyone else first — that getting care and making their voices heard can both help shape their futures.
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