BCA’s first meeting is held in founder Elenore Pred’s living room. “We are meeting to organize Breast Cancer Action,” the flyer announced. “Our goals are education and political action to prevent a further rise in breast cancer.”

BCA founders Elenore Pred, Susan Claymon, Belle Shayer, Linda Reyes, and other breast cancer activists, meet with the director of the National Cancer Institute to demand that NCI address the breast cancer epidemic.

Following the death of Elenore Pred, Susan Claymon becomes the first breast cancer activist to address the President’s Cancer Panel, a group of advisors appointed by the President’s Cancer Panel in Washington, D.C.

BCA study groups meet throughout the year to evaluate treatment options, environmental links to breast cancer, alternative therapies, legislative developments, and breast cancer biology.

BCA convenes first public breast cancer activist forum for the San Francisco Bay Area, sponsored by Junior League.

BCA helps draft and enact into law California's Breast Cancer Act, which raises money for screening and research, and guarantees that advocates will participate in decisions about what research is funded.

BCA participates in a signature gathering campaign to call for a national strategy to end the breast cancer epidemic. 2.6 million signatures are presented to President Clinton. BCA plays a key role in the federal Breast Cancer Summit called in response.

BCA testifies before the FDA in opposition to resuming the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial, a study of the drug tamoxifen in healthy women, because of reports of deaths from uterine cancer in the trial.

BCA brings noted worldwide scientists together for a session entitled Breast Cancer: The Environmental Connection at the annual meeting of American Association for Advancement of Science.

BCA co-founder Susan Claymon is the first chairperson of the California Breast Cancer Research Council.

BCA sponsors a photographic exhibit, “The Face of Breast Cancer,” at San Francisco City Hall, featuring the images and stories of 63 women and their families, and putting a human face on breast cancer statistics.

BCA becomes a founding member of the Toxic Links Coalition, making the link between women, health, and the environment. The coalition organizes the first annual Cancer Industry Tour of headquarters of companies contributing to the cancer epidemic.

BCA calls for the drug tamoxifen to be added to the list of substances known to the State of California to cause cancer. Despite the objections of Zeneca (the drug’s manufacturer) and then-Governor Pete Wilson, BCA’s argument prevails in 1996.

In testimony before a U.S. Senate committee, BCA calls for “one-stop shopping” for information on cancer clinical trials, modeled on centralized AIDS trial information. Congress implements a law in 1999.

BCA leads the call for guarantees of privacy and insurance and employment protection before genetic testing for breast cancer is routinely used. BCA, the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer, and others work to ensure that consumer interests are protected in the marketing of genetic testing.

BCA works with San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown to plan and present the city’s first Breast Cancer Summit.

Breast Cancer Action holds its First Town Meeting for Breast Cancer Activists, featuring former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders, and launching BCA’s activist Task Forces focused on media, legislation, treatment, community outreach, and street activism.

Citing the absence of evidence that routine mammography screening reduces breast cancer deaths for women aged 40 to 49—and noting the risks of mammography screening, including radiation exposure and the risk of false positives and false negatives—BCA publicly opposes the call by the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and others for routine screening among women in this age group.

BCA revises its mission statement and becomes the first national breast cancer organization to adopt a policy explicitly prohibiting accepting financial support from corporations, such as pharmaceutical companies and corporate polluters, that profit from or contribute to the cancer epidemic.

BCA places a full-page ad in the West Coast edition of the New York Times addressing the corporate role in Breast Cancer Awareness/Industry Month and the resulting lack of focus on environmental links to breast cancer.

BCA launches its Spanish-language information project, Saber Es Poder (Knowledge is Power), and publishes the first edition of its Spanish language newsletter.

During a visit by the director of National Cancer Institute to San Francisco, BCA’s Audre Lorde Action Brigade stages a street demonstration calling for federally-funded research into the environmental links to breast cancer.

Over the objections of other breast cancer organizations and the American Cancer Society, BCA successfully calls for the National Cancer Institute to promptly release the results of clinical trials testing high-dose chemotherapy/autologous bone marrow transplants for breast cancer.

BCA leads the call to guarantee that poor and uninsured women screened for breast cancer at state expense receive prompt access to quality treatment at state expense.

BCA launches the Think Twice Before You Walk campaign, urging people to ask how much money raised through fundraising events goes to breast cancer.

BCA conducts its first membership survey, giving members an opportunity to communicate who they are and how the organization can represent and serve them more effectively.

The first monthly BCA E-alert is sent.

BCA launches its Think Before You Pink Campaign. The campaign urges consumers to ask critical questions before supporting pink ribbon marketing campaigns.

BCA plays a key role in convening the first International Summit on Breast Cancer and the Environment, funded by the Centers for Disease Control.

BCA’s web site wins the People’s Choice Webby Award for best health web site.

BCA jointly releases the first edition of the report “State of the Evidence: What is the Connection Between the Enivronment and Breast Cancer?”

BCA convenes the first-ever advocacy meetings at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium—the largest annual scientific meeting on breast cancer in the U.S.

BCA presents testimony to the FDA opposing attempts to reintroduce silicone breast implants, citing numerous safety concerns.

BCA launches the Breast Cancer Puzzle Project, calling for a coordinated approach to research, focused on key unanswered questions that remain about the disease.

Led by BCA, the Follow the Money Alliance puts a resolution before Avon shareholders calling for the removal of harmful chemicals from its products.

BCA launches an online aromatase inhibitor survey to collect information on the side-effects of this new form of breast cancer treatment.

BCA’s coalition work around chemicals in cosmetics is advanced with the passage of SB 484, the California Safe Cosmetics Act.

BCA works closely with the Cities of San Francisco and Berkeley to ensure timely and effective implementation of ordinances adopting the precautionary principle of public health as a matter of policy.

BCA celebrates its 15th Anniversary.

Founding member of CHANGE, a coalition of organizations working to create a better system for regulating toxic chemicals in California.

Fenton Communications features BCA's Think Before You Pink campaign as a case study in its presentation, “Because It’s Worth It: 10 Ways to Measure the Impact of Your Communications.”

BAWG, co-founded by BCA, wins "Pioneers of Precaution" award at the First National Conference on the Precautionary Principle in Baltimore, MD.

Initiates First National Breast Cancer Research Summit, a gathering of funders, scientists, and key activists from around the nation.

Think Before You Pink web site is Yahoo! pick of the month for October.

Asserts a unique perspective, focusing on cost and effectiveness, in opposition to approval of Avastin as a treatment for breast cancer.

Successfully argues for cancellation of STELLAR Trial, maintaining that pills for prevention always results in disease substitution.

Publishes initial Aromatase Inhibitor Side-effects Survey results.

Think Before You Pink activates thousands of people to take action against

General Mills for pinkwashing by rBGH-treated dairy in Yoplait yogurt.

Met with Genentech (Avastin) and Amgen (anemia drugs) representatives to air concerns about their products.

Launches five-year strategic plan—challenging assumptions and inspiring change in breast cancer advocacy.

Publishes 100th edition of the bi-monthly newsletter, The Source.

Successfully advocates for removal of phthalates in cosmetics made by Secret, Arrid and Christian Dior.

Think Before You Pink Critical Questions appear in promotional literature and media statements from Susan G. Komen For The Cure and the American Cancer Society.

Think Before You Pink 2008, Yoplait: Put a Lid on It!, was awarded the BENNY Award by Business Ethics Network.

Launches Milking Cancer campaign demanding that Eli Lilly stop making rBGH, thus removing it from the world market. Thousands take action in the fist week.

Successfully testifies on behalf of patients at the FDA against the approval of Doxil for metastatic breast cancer.

Joins ACLU in lawsuit against Myriad Genetics for their patents on breast cancer genes BRCA1 and BRCA2.

Dannon follows suit to General Mills and announces plans to go rBGH-free.

In response to consumer demand and BCA’s Think Before You Pink campaign, General Mills announces plans to go rBGH-free.

Launches “What the Cluck?,” an e-letter writing campaign that demands an end to Kentucky Fried Chicken and Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s pinkwashing campaign, “Buckets for the Cure.” In two weeks, over 3,200 take action.

Forms Screening Task Force in response to the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force’s breast cancer screening recommendations released in November 2009. While BCA’s screening policy is hailed as a leader in the field, the task force will revise its policy to address the needs of all affected communities.

BCA wins lawsuit against Myriad Genetics by challenging the company’s patents on breast cancer genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2. Patents were ruled invalid by a United States Federal judge on March 29, 2010.

Breast Cancer Action celebrates its 20th anniversary year!

FDA is responsive to BCA's concerns about ESA's, as well as time of FDA informational conference calls

Working on legislation to prohibit patenting of genes, in particular on breast cancer genes BRCA1 and BRCA2

BCA's policy is hailed as a leader in the field of screening and mammography

BCA begins exploratory conversations with Eli Lilly