Nicholls State University’s Legacy Leaders and Salute hosted a donation drive called Pinktober for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The student organizations collected comfort items for cancer patients. Items ranging from blankets, socks, journals, pens, crossword books, books (novels), etc.

President of Salute, Azoria Lloyd said, “As two organizations founded by and surrounding women, we thought it would be great to do a service that would bring joy to the lives of the women in our community who are currently battling cancer.”

The organizations that orchestrated the event, Legacy Leaders and SALUTE, are made up of women of color and are committed to the empowerment and growth of said women.

Legacy Leaders is a multicultural academic organization for women of color at Nicholls. It is a proactive, cohesive group with a mission to empower women from all racial and ethnic backgrounds, Lloyd said.

Salute’s Instagram bio states that it is an organization that ensures African American women are prepared to transition into leadership roles and their respective industries through mentorship.

The drive is about much more than comforting cancer patients says faculty coordinator of Legacy Leaders, Arati Watson. It is to raise awareness of the disproportionate effects of Cancer on racial minorities.

According to the American Cancer Society, in 2024, 310,720 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in American women, and about 42,250 women will die from breast cancer this year.

According to the American Cancer Society’s Breast cancer facts & figures, 2015–2016,. the mortality rate of breast cancer remains significantly higher among Black compared to White women and other ethnic groups

That heightened death rate in black  women is “a mortifying reality” for Watson. That is why she believes donation drives like Pinktober are so vital.

“Donating is vital, not only because comfort amidst such harrowing circumstances is essential for breast cancer patients, but also, spreading awareness of risk and prevention through early detection within our local community is paramount to our survival and to our ability to thrive as individuals as well as a collective group,” Watson said.

Those harrowing circumstances push Lloyd and Watson to encourage donations to reach more women. Lloyd identifies these actions as community service, something she puts great value on.

“Servicing our community is something that should always be at the forefront of our minds,” said Lloyd.

Watson hopes to continue empowering others and fight back against issues facing women of color by hosting events such as Pinktober, stating that it will always be “very near to our hearts.”