LOS ANGELES, Sept. 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Breast cancer prevention advocates, nutrition experts, and community members will gather for a special Let’s Beat Breast Cancer rally from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27, at Monteith Parkway in View Park. They will be joined by actress Dionne Lea who is organizing the event and will serve as the emcee, her husband, actor Keith David, and renowned Los Angeles breast cancer surgeon Dr. Kristi Funk, who will speak about breast cancer prevention and health.

The event will also feature performances by LA Limited Addition Drumline, as well as an African drum group, who will help the assembled group “beat” (the drums for) breast cancer prevention as Breast Cancer Awareness Month kicks off in October. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ administration will issue a proclamation acknowledging the day.

Lea, a breast cancer survivor, said she strives to empower Black women — who have a disproportionately high breast cancer death rate — to take control of their health by getting screened for breast cancer and implementing lifestyle changes that help prevent it. “Without us, families fail. We have to be hypervigilant in everything we do,” she said. “I hope people leave this event with new information and the confidence to put it in action to improve their health.”

Led by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a health advocacy nonprofit of 17,000 doctors, free Let’s Beat Breast Cancer events are held in dozens of locations around the world throughout September and October. The Physicians Committee encourages people to reduce breast cancer risk by following a research-backed four-pronged approach:

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 34,000 women in California will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2026, and 4,580 women are expected to die from the disease. Nationwide, approximately one in eight women will be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer during her lifetime.

Dr. Funk, bestselling author who has cared for celebrities, including Angelina Jolie and Sheryl Crow, said, “Just 5% to 10% of all breast cancers are genetic. The other 90% arise from a complex mix of biology, hormones, environment, and lifetime exposures—and many of those factors are under our control. Your DNA might write the first chapter, but what you eat and drink, what you think and do, and what you touch and breathe can influence how the entire story of your health plays out,” she said. “It’s empowering!”

At the rally in View Park, breast cancer survivors Amanda Butler, founder of Cancer Baddies, and Monique Earl of Unite-LA, will also speak, along with Dr. Simie Lavern Annette Patterson from Kaiser Permanente.

Afterward, attendees can chat with local vendors and check out their wares, including a professional chef who is sampling Buddha bowls, as well as those offering wellness and beauty products.

Venus Williams is also lending her voice to this year’s Let’s Beat Breast Cancer campaign.

“Beat breast cancer before it even comes for you,” says seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams in a 30-second public service announcement (PSA) for Let’s Beat Breast Cancer. It will air in dozens of AMC Theatres this fall. “I’m managing my own autoimmune disease by eating plants,” Williams says. “You can get more than enough protein from tofu, beans, and plants.”

For more information about the Let’s Beat Breast Cancer campaign and breast cancer prevention, visit LetsBeatBreastCancer.org.

Note to reporters: B-roll available: What-is-LBBC-06112026.mp4

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit health organization of 17,000 physicians who promote preventive medicine, conduct clinical research, and encourage higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research.

Contact: Kim Kilbride, 202-717-8665, kkilbride@pcrm.org


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Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Author: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine