We invite you to visit one of our M-POWERed cities
Juneteenth Health Event at Friendship Baptist Church
Friday, June 19, 2026
12:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET
Friendship Baptist Church
144 W. 131st Street
New York, NY 10027
The M-Power project is partnering with cities across the country to turn the core vision of the IMF Diversity Initiative into a reality: improving the short- and long-term outcomes of African-American patients with multiple myeloma.
Multiple myeloma is the most common blood cancer in African Americans, who have a greater-than-average risk of developing the disease. But when barriers to early diagnosis and treatment are removed, African-American myeloma patients do just as well, or even better than, white individuals.
M-Power is empowering health-care professionals, community leaders, neighborhoods and families to break down those barriers by raising myeloma awareness. Get M-POWERed to change the course of myeloma by clicking on a city below.
Actor and Artist Ice-T Raises Awareness of Myeloma in the Black Community
Renowned actor and artist Ice-T joins hands with the International Myeloma Foundation to raise awareness of myeloma in the black community this Black History Month. The IMF’s M-Power project is a national and local movement, fighting city by city through music, art, barbershops, food trucks, and churches. Let’s raise awareness and empower our community together. Change the narrative of myeloma. #BlackHistoryMonth
%
of all cases of myeloma are in African Americans
more common in African Americans
%
of all newly diagnosed myeloma patients will be African American
Multiple Myeloma
Did you know that myeloma is the most common blood cancer in people of African descent? But doctors do not typically check people for myeloma during a regular visit because currently there are no national screening recommendations for myeloma.
That’s why it’s important to learn the early symptoms of myeloma and let your doctor know that you—or a friend or family member—are at added risk for the disease.
Because even though myeloma affects African Americans at greater rates, with early diagnosis and treatment, African Americans can have better overall survival in living with the disease.
Medical Student Scholars for Health Equity in Myeloma Mentoring Program
The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) has partnered with the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute’s Cobb Scholars Program to launch the 4th annual mentoring program for minority medical school students. Twelve students, several of whom are from Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCU), have been paired with 12 myeloma experts who are dedicated to health equity – together they are conducting 12 projects in health disparities in myeloma. These will be presented as posters at the Annual Meeting of the National Medical Association in San Juan Puerto Rico in July 2026. Learn more about the Medical Student Scholars for Health Equity in Myeloma Mentoring Program here.
Multiple Myeloma: What You Need To Know
Black men and women diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma – a blood cancer twice as common in people of African descent – are expected to live HALF as long as their White counterparts. That disparity is unacceptable, and the IMF is committed to engaging the community to promote early detection and effective treatment.
Black Health Matters™, (www.blackhealthmatters.com) is a digital health communications and patient event engagement firm that was founded in 2012. Black Health Matters™ (BHM) is an award-winning, premier web site that empowers thousands each week with information on the management of chronic disease. Our Black Health Matters Summit brings world-class medical doctors, advocates and other medical professionals in dialogue with communities on the science of disease and management of chronic illness.
Could Your Patient Have Multiple Myeloma? Don’t Miss the Signs
Addressing Disparities in Multiple Myeloma and the Path to Health Equity
Diversity in Clinical Trials is a video series highlighting the voices of individuals in the African American community living with multiple myeloma. Through personal stories, participants share their diagnosis journeys, why they chose to join a clinical trial, and why representation in research matters for the future of myeloma care.
Publications and Resources
- Tip Card: Conversation Starter for Nurses | International Myeloma Foundation
- Racial differences in the proportion of myeloma cases attributable to excess body weight and diabetes mellitus in the United States.
Anuraj A, Rath D, Derkach A, Usmani SZ, Shah UA. Racial differences in the proportion of myeloma cases attributable to excess body weight and diabetes mellitus in the United States.
Haematologica; https://doi.org/10.3324/haematol.2025.287724 - Addressing the disparities: the approach to the African American patient with multiple myeloma.
Bhutani M, Blue BJ, Cole C, Badros AZ, Usmani SZ, Nooka AK, Bernal-Mizrachi L, Mikhael J.
Blood Cancer J. 2023 Dec 18;13(1):189. doi: 10.1038/s41408-023-00961-0.
PMID: 38110338 Free PMC article. Review. - Overall Survival in Patients With Multiple Myeloma in the U.S.: A Systematic Literature Review of Racial Disparities.
Mikhael J, Cichewicz A, Mearns ES, Girvan A, Pierre V, Rawashdh NA, Yellow-Duke A, Cornell RF, Nixon M.
Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk. 2024 Feb;24(2):e1-e12. doi: 10.1016/j.clml.2023.09.009. Epub 2023 Oct 10.
PMID: 37923653 - Culturally Responsive Care Delivery in Oncology: The Example of Multiple Myeloma.
Blue B, Pierre A, Mikhael J.
Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk. 2023 Sep;23(9):651-659. doi: 10.1016/j.clml.2023.05.005. Epub 2023 May 6.
PMID: 37290997 Review. - Multiple Myeloma for the Primary Care Provider: A Practical Review to Promote Earlier Diagnosis Among Diverse Populations.
Mikhael J, Bhutani M, Cole CE.
Am J Med. 2023 Jan;136(1):33-41. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2022.08.030. Epub 2022 Sep 20.
PMID: 36150517 Review. - Multisite Quality Improvement Initiative to Identify and Address Racial Disparities and Deficiencies in Delivering Equitable, Patient-Centered Care for Multiple Myeloma-Exploring the Differences between Academic and Community Oncology Centers
Joseph R Mikhael, Shelby L Sullivan, Jeffrey D Carter, Cherilyn L Heggen, Lindsay M Gurska
Curr Oncol2023 Jan 25;30(2):1598-1613. doi: 10.3390/curroncol30020123.
DOI: 10.3390/curroncol30020123
PMID: 36826084 PMCID: PMC9955622
We want to hear from you:
with support from:
AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Genentech , GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Karyopharm Therapeutics, Kite, and Sanofi
Founded in 1990, the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) is the first and largest global organization focusing specifically on multiple myeloma.