Charlie Wilson has been in our lives for decades. From his days as the lead singer for The Gap Band to his solo projects, we all love Uncle Charlie. In September of 2008, Charlie Wilson had to step up on another stage…not to perform but to battle Prostate Cancer.

When he heard the news, like many, he was devastated. “I was mortified when the doctor told me I had prostate cancer,” said Charlie.  “Hearing the words ‘you have cancer’—I don’t care what kind of cancer it is—will scare the hell out of you.”

African American men also are 2.5 times more likely to die from the disease than Caucasian men. There are no noticeable symptoms of prostate cancer while it is still in the early stages. This is why screening is so critical. Every African American man age 40 or older should be screened annually for prostate cancer. Working Divas we have to encourage the men in our lives to get screened and promote earlier detection in our community. So, as we walk down the street we can say, “There Goes My Baby.”

Read more Charlies story at the Prostate Cancer Foundation .