Our lab hosted a screening of a new documentary, Birthing Justice (trailer below), which addresses health disparities Black mothers face when accessing care.
As the creators of the documentary state, the purpose “is two-fold: to discuss issues fueling the maternal health crisis within the African American community and to advocate for best practices to enhance birthing equity for all women, especially Black women. The film explores this national epidemic via four regions — Washington, D.C., Augusta, GA, several areas in Missouri, and California, interviewing those affected by current policies, i.e. birthing individuals and healthcare providers, as well as those, such as birthing advocates, activists and policymakers, at the forefront of advancing policy change”.
Following this screening, we have compiled a list of both general and New York-specific resources that aim to support and advance the rights of Black mothers.
General Resources
Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA): national network of Black women-led and Black-led birth and reproductive justice organizations and multidisciplinary professionals who work across the full spectrum of maternal and reproductive health.
Black Maternal Health Caucus: launched by Congresswomen Alma Adams and Lauren Underwood, this caucus is dedicated to elevating the Black maternal health crisis within Congress and advancing policy solutions to improve Black maternal health outcomes and end disparities.
Black Women Birthing Justice: a grassroots collective of Black women and individuals across the African diaspora committed to transforming birthing experiences for Black women and birthing people.
National Association to Advance Black Birth (NAABB): an organization that advocates for Black maternal-infant health through advocacy, research, educational programming, activism, and policy change.
NYC Resources
MCNY Black Maternal Health Initiative (BMHI): Student and community engagement project focusing on responding to the crisis of Black maternal health crisis in NYC, most specifically the Bronx.
Saving Mothers – mPOWHER Project: Project with the 2 main components of training Community Health Workers (CHW), focusing on at-risk patients and building patient trust and advocacy, and secondly donating Kits with practical health- empowerment tools.
Raising New York: A network dedicated to sharing resources centered around pregnancy, postpartum, midwifes and doulas services in NYC.
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