Delores King is from Chicago and has been stepping for 20-plus years. She launched the organization Livin’ Through the Lenz NP and has a message for the stepping community, but who is Delores King? Delores learned to dance, going out with friends like Sherrod four or five times a week. They learned to step together as they went to different clubs in Chicago. Her introduction to stepping was an experience.
“I don’t know how many remember the Rainbow Lounge – it was Mr. Bernard’s lounge on 75th right off Michigan. Sherrod and I often went out and danced. We didn’t step because we didn’t know how, but it was nice to go out and see people dressed up elegantly. Back in the day, women wore dresses, and men dressed up to go out and dance. I thought it was beautiful. We started dancing with each other, stepping on each other toes. I love the dance. I love the flow and musicality of the dance. When I would see people dancing, I thought, ‘Wow! I want to learn this dance “
-Delores King
Delores and her friends went out several days a week to fuel their passion. They picked up steps and footwork. There were no dance classes – no six count or eight count. They learned by going to places like “The Other Place,” “President’s Lounge,” “Rainbow Lounge,” and other places. Some of the most fantastic dancers were at these places, like Maddie B. Haywood, Jessie “Dimples” Bickham, Swan, James Harris, and George Macaroni. George Macaroni was a legend. It wasn’t this controversial, and they learned on the fly. The set was the classroom where Delores and her friends learned to step.
“We danced from what we saw. We learned it, picked up things here and there, got better, and added as we moved forward.“
Delores King
When I met Delores King in 2018, I was fascinated by her serene but strong presence. I tried not to stare. She had the most beautiful hands I had ever seen, and I told her so. I was curious about her compression sleeve but was afraid to ask all the questions that came to mind. “Every” time I see Delores, she smiles; she takes my picture and exudes quiet strength. She is an amazing, kind person, and a great dancer and photographer. This interview has been a long time coming, and she has an important message for all of us during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
What does photography mean to you?
Photography is a very emotional subject for me because it is my everything. Photography is my gateway to healing. I’ve been doing photography ever since I can remember, but I started to take it seriously once I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Photography is my peace. It’s my comfort. Photography saved me.
Tell me the name of your organization and what it is about.
My nonprofit organization is called Livin’ Through the Lenz NP. It’s a different spelling because I didn’t want it to be so original. I named the organization Livin’ Through the Lenz because we all see through a lens – our eyes. My camera goes everywhere with me, and I see through a lens, through my camera. I started my organization because photography is my peace. I love portrait and landscape photography. At this particular time, I was doing landscape. I get up in the morning, catch the sunrise, and leave in the afternoon to see the sunset. It’s a beautiful sight.
Through education and photo-based therapy, I want to support black and brown women, especially black women. To explain photo-based therapy … With my second cancer diagnosis, I took a picture of a seagull at the lakefront. I took that picture years ago to return and look at it today. It brought up that same emotion for me. It took me back in time and place to where the photo was taken.
Sometimes, those emotions can be good, and sometimes they’re not. For me, I don’t fit in either category. It was a learning experience. Sometimes, I must go back to past experiences to do this work. I must go back. I can’t effectively help or support others if I am afraid of my past or scared to step into my future.
The organization’s mission is to narrow the health, racial disparity, and gap in breast cancer survivors while supporting black and brown women to improve their emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being primarily through education and photo-based therapy.
How has stepping impacted the cause of your organization Livin’ Through the Lenz?
Stepping has impacted my organization because so many of us are out there dealing with this awful disease, but nobody wants to speak about it. Being a photographer, I see a lot.
Recognition of Other Cancer Fighters and Survivors
You can tell a woman who has been through the process. I will call it a process. Some you can tell from the scarring on the chest. I still have those scars and still wear a port. That’s how the stepping community and Livin’ through the Lenz intersect for me.
Starting the Conversation
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I get emotional. We don’t discuss breast cancer or any other health issues in our communities. Everybody’s afraid to approach the situation until it hits their family, which becomes personal, but we still refuse to discuss it. We go through the motions, hoping to return to our normal behavior ASAP. I put myself out there because we need to educate ourselves and talk about it. I had eight sisters in my family; however, two passed, and breast cancer picked me up this time. Next time, it could be one of them. It could be you, somebody you know, or whoever. If you feel something, say something. Early detection saves lives; don’t be the one who says, “I don’t want to know.” Do your self-exams, get your mammograms, and do future checkups.
Preparing Future Generations
Through Livin’ Through the Lenz, I hope to inspire our communities to support the effort to put breast cancer awareness in the spotlight. We need to start the conversations and keep it going. And, create a non-judgmental space for discussion because everybody will not welcome it. We have our future behind us. Breast cancer today is not only affecting older women. I have people in my breast cancer group who were affected at age 20. I heard somebody talk about a breast cancer survivor at 16. We are getting younger and younger. If we don’t talk about it, how are our future generations supposed to know and talk about it? We must discuss this ongoing subject, and I hope Living Through the Lenz can help.
How did you recognize the need for your organization? Was there a moment or something that made you realize information needs to be shared?
Yes, there were moments in my recovery when I sat down sometimes and thought about what I wish I had known. I don’t want people to have to search for information because most of us won’t. People should not feel like they’re the only ones. Breast cancer has devastated many families. My first diagnosis was in 2014. I was in remission for two years, and in 2017, the cancer returned. Today, I’m in remission and doing great. Just because you get your mammograms once a year, does not mean you are safe. I was getting my mammograms once a year, too, but then I found out I had cancer. That was devastating news, especially when I have never smoked cigarettes, drank alcohol, or done illegal drugs, but here I am.
I don’t want people to think and take things for granted because it’s not in your family. My Mom didn’t have breast cancer. When I went to the doctor and took testing for genetic testing, they asked me, “How would you feel if your test came back that this gene was in your family?” That was a hard question for me to answer. There are many of us like that. We are afraid. We’re ashamed. I’m always afraid, but don’t walk like I’m afraid. I don’t talk like I’m afraid. I embrace it. And we must know that when we say we embrace something, that doesn’t mean we gave in to it. I had to embrace this for me to move on with my life.
What has been the best and the worst part of your experience with fighting breast cancer?
The worst part is not knowing and waiting. It takes about two weeks for the diagnosis to determine the cancer stage. Then you have to wait for your therapy. I asked God many questions. What did I do to deserve this? Why me? We all go through the “Why Me” stage, and I’m so glad I’m past it. It prevented me from moving. But the best part is that it allowed me to start this organization, Livin’ Through the Lenz.
If I hadn’t given in, I probably would not be where I am today. Fighting the process is stressful and drains my energy. It gave me a different outlook when dealing with something as serious as cancer. Some of us are angry, and it is okay if we go through that. I went through it myself, and it’s okay. It’s like a grieving stage. But, once you are there, don’t take all your energy and put it Into being angry and mean to others. Take that energy, do something positive with it, and make a difference, especially in our communities.
Describe what people need for awareness and education about breast cancer beyond getting an annual mammogram, especially after diagnosis.
Ask For Layman’s Terms
If you are diagnosed with any health issue, be it cancer or something else, the doctors are there to inform you of the treatment options available. Most doctors say things – sometimes, we don’t understand and feel embarrassed or ashamed to ask for an explanation. Ask the doctor to explain in layman’s terms until you get it.
Do Your Research and Ask Questions
Find out about your treatment plan and research, so you have a list of questions when you visit your doctor’s appointment. That’s very important. We must advocate for ourselves. The doctors are there to guide us and do the surgery if necessary. Take control of your health, work with the doctors, and do what you think is best for you.
Advocate for Yourself
After I was diagnosed for the second time, I had to repeat the process after the doctors told me I should have been tested every six months. They were not doing the testing. Sometimes, you have to put your foot down and advocate. In my case, I just went to the doctor and acted like a fool until I was tested. And thank God because that’s how they found the tumor. We have to tell our children about these experiences. We have to prepare ourselves. Do your research. Get your questions. Do the stuff that you’re supposed to do. Don’t sit back and wait for the doctor or the nurse to tell you what you should have done. You have one shot at life. It’s a done deal when God puts that period behind your name.
What are some of the surprises you learned about breast cancer?
A surprising moment for me was at the “Sista Strut Breast Cancer Walk” I attend every year. I saw this guy with his big sign saying, “I’m a breast cancer survivor.” I was shocked. Men can get breast cancer, too? They did a survey, I think in 2020 or 2021, on breast cancer in men and women. Forty-two thousand people in Chicago were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 500 were men. So it’s imperative: if you feel something, say something. That goes for men, too. Men go through treatments just as we do. The young man I ran into at the breast cancer walk was probably in his late 30s.
How can the stepping community support Livin’ Through the Lenz and what you are doing?
Everybody has been touched with cancer one way or the other. Either you’re dealing with it, dealt with it, or know somebody. We all know it’s out here and can touch any of us anytime.
Support Breast Cancer Events
Support breast cancer month. We have parties and fundraisers for everything. We have very few breast cancer stepper events in our community. Help us get the word out, and don’t shy away from it. It may not be the subject you want to discuss, but there are many of us.
Myself and another young lady (I won’t say her name) spoke last year at Darrell Plunkett’s breast cancer event at the Grand Ballroom. When we got off the stage, many people approached us, asking, “Did you feel anything?” That’s the first question, and my response was, “No, I didn’t feel anything,” even with the second diagnosis.
Cell Phones
In this stepping community, ladies, we have a terrible habit of sticking our cell phones in our breasts. Sometimes, I’ll tag you on the shoulder and say, “Please don’t do that.” Some say, “It’s just a little radiation. It’s not going to hurt.” We don’t know that. They still have not tested enough to confirm the effect of cell phones and bluetooth devices.
The Month of October
Finally, I want the stepping community to get involved and support breast cancer awareness in October. People dealing with breast cancer deal with it 365 days. Those not dealing with it, you have 31 days in October. We deal with it every day. I used not to leave home because I did not want other people to treat me differently. In the stepping community, maybe that’s why people are afraid to share. They don’t want their names out there.
Talk About It and Reach Out
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I felt ashamed. I was afraid. I was scared. So many emotions go through you all at once. When watching television, I would hyperventilate if a commercial came on about cancer or somebody dealing with cancer. I still can’t do that today, and I may never be able to do that. That’s just one of the side effects.
You learn to get past it. You never forget it. I would change the channel. You have options and don’t have to sit there and listen to that stuff. If anybody out there needs to talk to somebody, you can speak to me. I’m available – the little short-haired woman with the camera.
Find A Group
Make sure you get in a support group because it helps. I am with the Tasha C. Joyner Foundation. We call ourselves the Butterflies, and we’re having a beautiful gala this year on October 21st in Tinley Park. The theme is Mad Hatter and tennis shoes; we have the ball yearly. So get in a group and make sure the group fits you. Don’t just get in any group. I tried several groups, and some weren’t for me, so you must find the group that best fits you.
What is your message for anyone new to the fight against breast cancer?
If you are new to this fight, we’re all in this cancer club that none of us wanted to be in. We’re a family. Reach out. Make sure you have a support system. Remember, you’re not the only one dealing with this. If you don’t reach out, they don’t know. Don’t feel isolated. I would come home, shut myself in, close the blinds, and be in the house for days, maybe weeks. After the surgery, I didn’t want to talk to anybody about what I was going through because I didn’t think others would understand. Do your homework. Find your breast cancer group. Take your questions with you, and please take somebody else with you to your doctor’s appointment. And I’ll give you an example.
My daughter would come with me when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. But I was there alone when they found the cancer for the second time. I can’t tell you today what the doctor said. After she said “cancer,” I shut down. Your body is going to protect you, so your mind shuts down. That’s when my daughter, Courtney, and Joanne, one of the nurses in our breast cancer group, would go with me. Once we left the doctor’s office, they would tell me what the doctor had said. So it’s essential.
When you shut down, the other person can take the information you need to hear. It’s scary, but you’ll get through it. I am living proof.
I’m not saying everything I discussed in this interview applies to everyone, but I speak from my experience. God has been my strength throughout my journey, allowing me to stay in the fight and never give up. If anything, find something to do that you enjoy. You won’t feel like it at first, but that’s how I got serious about photography.
