Today we’d like to introduce you to Cynthia Smalls.
Hi Cynthia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Cynthia Smalls is a breast cancer survivor, author, and advocate dedicated to empowering Black women navigating breast cancer. Diagnosed in May 2016 with Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS), she underwent a lumpectomy and radiation therapy, leading to a cancer-free outcome. She is the Founder/Owner of Melanin & Pink Ribbons Wellness Company, LLC, which exists to empower Black women facing breast cancer and to strengthen all women through truth-telling, education, and uplifting storytelling. The company provides supportive wellness resources, self-help and motivational books, and fiction that restores hope, builds resilience, and champions the courage of women in every season of life.
Recognizing a lack of representation and resources for Black women in breast cancer care, Cynthia founded the blog Melanin & Pink Ribbons®. This platform offers information, encouragement, and community support tailored to women of color facing breast cancer.
Drawing on her personal journey, she authored Push the Button, a seven-step guide designed to help individuals navigate life’s challenges, including illness, grief, and personal setbacks, and move forward with resilience and purpose. She also created the Positive Affirmation Journal for Breast Cancer Fighters & Survivors, providing a space for reflection and encouragement during treatment and recovery. Her third book is a therapeutic coloring book for Black children whose mom is diagnosed with breast cancer, named Love, Strength & Crayons.
Professionally, Cynthia holds a B.A. in Labor Studies with a minor in Women’s Studies from Douglass College at Rutgers University. She dedicated herself for over 31 years as a Labor Relations Specialist for the Civil Service Employees Association, advocating for workers’ rights.
In addition to her advocacy work, Cynthia is a long-standing member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., currently affiliated with the Gamma Omicron Sigma Chapter in Jacksonville, Florida. She also serves as Secretary on the board of PINK “ME,” a breast cancer awareness organization that provides grants and grassroots support to women on their healing journey.
Through her writing, blogging, and community involvement, Cynthia Smalls continues to inspire and support others on their paths to healing and empowerment.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has been a time of learning and continually being aware of current events, so I can meet the needs of my community.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Melanin & Pink Ribbons Wellness Company, LLC?
Melanin & Pink Ribbons Wellness Company, LLC exists to empower Black women facing breast cancer and to strengthen all women through truth-telling, education, and uplifting storytelling. The company provides supportive wellness resources, self-help and motivational books, and fiction that restores hope, builds resilience, and champions the courage of women in every season of life.
I am known for my ability to take complicated issues and break them down into easy to understand concepts. What sets me apart is that I am a Survivor who strives to make the road easier for all those coming behind me. Since Black women are dying from this dreaded disease at a higher rate than others, there is lots of work to do in this arena.
I am proud of my graphics that feature Black women that reinforce we have a voice in medical treatment as well as a responsibility for informed self-care.
I want to highlight my first book, Push the Button: A Seven-Step Approach to Life’s Changes, which provides the reader with a framework to move from a negative space to a positive space, moving forward. My second book is the journal I needed as a breast cancer fighter and never found. That led me to write Positive Affirmation Journal for Breast Cancer Fighters & Survivors. Lastly, my upcoming release is Love, Strength & Crayons, a therapeutic coloring book for Black children whose mom is diagnosed with breast cancer. All are available on Amazon.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Spending time with my family is one thing that makes me happy. My family, affectionately known as Team Smalls, is my backbone and soft place to land that is full of love.
Pricing:
- Push the Button $10.00
- Positive Affirmation Journal for Br east Cancer Fighters & Survivors $10.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://melaninpinkribbons.com/
- Instagram: melaninpinkribbons
- Facebook: author_cynthia_smalls
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-smalls-74b9712
