By Celena Glaghassi, Contributing Writer
On Thursday, Oct. 23, the Black Student Union, in collaboration with the Gettysburg College Fashion Initiative, hosted a tie-dye event in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The event ran from 4–6 p.m. on Stine Lake and gave students the opportunity to tie-dye shirts while learning about resources for breast cancer.
“We’re all having fun and supporting a great cause. I think that’s the biggest goal between the two clubs and the whole point of this event,” said President of the Gettysburg College Fashion Initiative Malachi Briscoe ’26.
This month, across the country—and right here on campus— people are rallying behind the cause of breast cancer awareness. From donating money, sharing their story, or even hosting a tie-dye event on a college campus, October is a popular month to promote early detection, education, and support people who have been affected by the disease.
The event was attended by many students who were interested in helping bring awareness to breast cancer. The activity presented the opportunity for students to learn about early testing and warning signs. It provided information from the National Breast Cancer Foundation on the disease, highlighting the increased risk for black women, who, despite being more likely to be diagnosed at an earlier age, have a higher death rate caused by the disease. The event also sought to educate about the fact that while discourse for breast cancer is usually focused on women, men can also be diagnosed with breast cancer: a risk for one in every 726 men.
“It’s really easy to just assume that this (breast cancer) is something that just affects older people, but that’s not true. So it’s really important to have this event, especially in such a fun way, because this is something that affects people of all ages,” said one of the organizers, Sophie Hunsberger ’29.
One of the resources promoted was the Susan G. Komen Patient Care Center, a foundation focusing on raising money for breast cancer research.
President of the Black Student Union Denae Bowen ’26 highlighted the importance of raising awareness for breast cancer. “I really wanted to get together with the [Gettysburg] fashion initiative club so we could bring awareness to the campus about how women of all colors need to make sure that they’re getting tested.”
