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September 26, 2024Remembering Gerald Green, health equity and cancer research advocate
In Memoriam
Gerald Green (pictured above), health equity and cancer research advocate, passed away on June 17, 2024. He will be remembered among the members of the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) for his service on the Cancer Research Advocates Committee and the Head and Neck Cancer Committee for over six years.
“Gerald was a force for good,” said Mary Lou Smith, JD, MBA, chair of the Cancer Research Advocates Committee. “He helped ECOG-ACRIN researchers understand the experience of living with cancer and the side effects of treatment.”
Gerald was a three-time cancer survivor who overcame tongue cancer in 1995, neck cancer in 1997, and prostate cancer in 2008. Born on February 21, 1949, he became a mechanical engineer in the petroleum and gas industry. A lifelong author, his poetry, essays, and articles have appeared in multiple publications, including Healing Journey and The Monthly, a premiere magazine of culture and commerce. His 2010 memoir, Life Constricted: To Love, Hugs and Laughter (cover pictured at left), chronicled his family’s struggles and victories surrounding his cancer diagnoses, treatments, and recovery.
Lessons of survival and resilience featured prominently in his writing and were reflected in his community activism and volunteerism. Since 2014, Gerald covered health issues as a correspondent for Oakland Voices. Gerald’s writing often reflected the importance of early cancer detection, especially among Black men, and the positive impact that a support network of family and friends can have.
In 2017, Gerald was honored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) for his engineering expertise, service as a mentor volunteer to at-risk youth, and distinguished writing. The Brotherhood of Elders Network, an intergenerational network of men of African ancestry dedicated to empowering Black youth, interviewed Gerald as part of their BOEN Oral History Project in 2021.
In addition to serving as an advocate at ECOG-ACRIN, Gerald worked with the Prostate Health Support Group for African American Men, sponsored by the University of California at San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Alameda County. In 2020, he collaborated with Oakland Community Organizations and Kim Rhoads, MD, MS, MPH, FACS, to launch Umoja Health, a new model of community-led care delivery to address the COVID-19 and health-related needs of underserved communities of color in East Oakland. Today, the organization is addressing the burden of cancer and other diseases. It provides cancer screening and navigation for community members at no cost. Additionally, Gerald was a patient advocate for Cancer Grand Challenges’ Team PROMINENT, studying how cells and tissues maintain “normal” phenotypes while harboring oncogenic mutations and how they transition to become tumors.
A Celebration of Life was held in July in Gerald’s home state of North Carolina. Those wishing to honor Gerald may donate in his memory to the Brotherhood of Elders Network.
Related:
Baba Gerald Green - Oral History Video with Brotherhood of Elders Network
In Memoriam by Oakland Voices
