Common is ready to “Stand Up To Cancer.”

In a new PSA put out by Bristol Myers Squibb, the rapper-turned-actor and activist is helping the pharmaceutical company spread awareness about lung cancer. The disease is on the rise amongst Black men and is the cause of nearly 25 percent of all deaths in the United States.

“In 2014 my father died after his battle with cancer,” said Common in a press release. “He was truly someone who inspired me and made me want to be better. I believe that we can do better for ourselves – especially as Black men when it comes to health. I’m honored to support Stand Up To Cancer’s campaign to bring awareness to lung cancer research.”

For its part, Bristol Myers Squibb gave Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) a $5 million grant to help fund research and education efforts aimed at achieving health equity for underserved lung cancer patients, including Black people and people living in rural communities. In 2020, Bristol Myers Squibb awarded Stand Up To Cancer a total of $10 million in grant funding to support lung cancer research.

“More than 235,000 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed this year in the United States and research shows there are stark disparities in lung cancer diagnoses among diverse and rural communities,” said Sung Poblete Ph.D., RN, CEO of Stand Up To Cancer. “Stand Up To Cancer is committed to saving lives by accelerating cancer research and reducing barriers to clinical trial participation in medically underserved communities. We are thankful to Bristol Myers Squibb for their collaboration to support our efforts in lung cancer research and to Common for lending his voice and support to this important campaign.”

This campaign is the latest in a series of PSAs by SU2C to increase awareness about the importance of cancer screenings and clinical trials in medically underserved communities. SU2C formally announced its Health Equity Initiative in January 2020.

Check out the new PSA featuring Common below.

PSA

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