Zora Kramer Brown

Elzora Mae Kramer Brown (March 20, 1949 – March 3, 2013) was an American breast cancer awareness advocate. Brown worked to improve awareness of breast cancer in the African-American community. She was the first African American woman to serve on the National Cancer Advisory Board.

Biography Brown was born Elzora Mae Brown on March 20, 1949, in Holdenville, Oklahoma. She was raised in Oklahoma City. Brown earned her bachelors degree from Oklahoma State University in 1969. Brown first worked as a secretary at the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association and then in the lobbying office at Ford Motor Company. In 1976, she started working as an administrative assistant in the White House on women's programs, where she met Betty Ford. BCRC helps promote awareness about breast cancer to black women. Brown's work on the board led to Congress providing funds for breast and cervical cancer screening for low-income and uninsured women.

Brown spread the word about breast cancer prevention in local settings and also on The Joan Rivers Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show. She also testified at a United States Senate Cancer Coalition forum about breast cancer.

Brown died on March 3, 2013, aged 63, in Oklahoma City from complications from ovarian cancer.