By james art
By Sym Posey | Birmingham Times
Looking back, Marcus Christian can be honest with himself when it comes to breast cancer. “I wasn’t serious,” he said.
His mother, Carolyn Christian, had her first battle with the deadly disease at age 21. “She fought it and won that battle. Ten years later, I was born,” said Marcus, CEO of Everyday Pink, a breast cancer awareness brand.
Shortly after he graduated from Huffman High School in 2003, his mother was diagnosed again. This time the cancer was a bit more aggressive than before. She would pass away that same year at the age of 54.
“God blessed me with her raising me all these years,” Christian said. “I thank God for that time with her because He got her through her battle when she was 21. She was able to raise me and see me graduate from high school and then she came home. Her task is over.
Christian attended Alabama State University (ASU) in Montgomery, Alabama, after high school and his life was unfocused, he said.
“At the time, I didn’t take breast cancer seriously. I didn’t take it [my mother] to be seriously ill,” he said. “I had never seen her sick until then. My family members and my sister, [LaTonya Anderson]they would call me and say, “She’s not doing well.” I never wanted to go home. I never took it seriously and it really haunted me. I didn’t take him seriously until he was in the hospital. I went to visit her and she told me herself [her situation with cancer] it was not good. She had this conversation with me and it broke me.
His mother’s death affected Christian so deeply that he didn’t return to ASU to finish his degree: “I was so messed up mentally because I wasn’t there like I should have been,” he said.
Knowing the seriousness of the disease, Christian said she wanted to do something to raise awareness about breast cancer, but didn’t know how.
“I would always go to [breast cancer awareness] walks that took place downtown[Birmingham]and tried to help people who had different foundations dedicated to the cause, but I didn’t know how to do it myself,” he said.
After the death of his father, Howard Christian, in 2018 from lung cancer, Christian said he felt like he had a “personal problem with cancer” after losing both of his parents to the disease.
“I had to do something”
Then he came up with a plan. Christian combined his love of fashion with his passion to fight cancer.
“I had to do something,” he said. “I always felt like I had a gift for dressing and putting outfits together, so I was like, ‘Let’s try to do something different.'” Every time I saw a shirt, it was simple, basic. I started playing around with Everything Pink in 2021, but only got serious about the brand this year. Everything Pink is a very small business, but the goal is to get as high as I can to help as many people as I can.”
Born and raised in Birmingham, Christian grew up in the Avondale and Woodlawn areas with his older sister. He attended Gibson Elementary School and Hayes Middle School.
Today, Christian, 40, is responsible for all things Everyday Pink. “[The name] it comes from my feeling that breast cancer awareness should be a daily occurrence. I wanted a name that embodied that message. People fight breast cancer every day, not just in October, so why not raise awareness and the need for more research every day?” Christian said.
“I do everything myself,” he added, speaking of the company. “I design everything. I choose the dimensions and material I want to use. Everything about the embroidery and the print, I make it all up. I found my makers myself; there are three that I use. I send them my designs and they bring them to life.”
Prior to creating Everyday Pink, Christian worked for 18 years as a production associate for Honda Motor Company.
“For the last five years, it just wasn’t fulfilling because I always had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to do something else that would make an impact in some way. [Honda] he paid the bills but didn’t perform.
“Every little bit helps”
Christian hopes to build on the success of Everyday Pink. “I hope one day to be able to give back to those affected by breast cancer and help them with whatever they need,” he said.
About her efforts to raise awareness of breast cancer, Christian said: “I would like people to understand that the fight is never over. [I also would like them to understand that] when someone dies of breast cancer, it doesn’t mean they’ve lost the battle, it just means their assignment here is over. So it’s up to us to continue the fight.”
He encourages supporters in the fight against cancer to give their time and donations “to the many non-profit organizations we have in Birmingham and around the world that are doing great things to advance and elevate the mission.”
“Every little bit helps,” Christian said. “[It’s important to] taking care of ourselves to try to prevent disease from entering our bodies, starting with our diets, staying hydrated, [reducing] stress. [Also]please keep up with your mammograms. It’s very important for us to spread awareness, but also to contribute to our own health.”
For more information about Everyday Pink, visit the company’s website, everyday-pink.com, Instagram page, @everydaypink_awarness, or TikTok feed, @everydaypink2.