Source: Courtesy of NBEC / NBEC
Black Maternal Health Week 2022 is officially underway — and this year’s theme is: “Building for Liberation: Centering Black Mamas, Black Families and Black Systems of Care.”
From April 11-17, the week’s program includes just under 20 workshops, classes and wellness sessions with insight from leaders and experts in the birthing and reproductive justice world.
Featured participants in BMHW22 include Alexis McGill (Planned Parenthood), Tatyanna Ali (Actress/Advocate), Charles Johnson (4Kira4Moms), Latham Thomas (Founder, Mama Glow), Laurie Bertram Robinson (Yellowhammer Fund), Sherri Doucette (Mama Glow Doula), Oneda Horne (Room to Grow) and many others.
Monday’s event lineup includes the following:
Reproductive Justice is… (10:30 a.m. ET): This conversation serves as a refresher course on what the 16 Black women who coined the term “reproductive justice” meant when they gave birth to the modern day RJ movement in 1989. Signers of the original We Remember: African American Women for Reproductive Freedom brochure and a panel of current RJ leaders reflect back on how the original definition of RJ included maternal health, abortion, birth control, sexual wellbeing, etc. The panel will explore how this changed over three decades and why Black women must lead in reestablishing an RJ agenda that reflects this original aim.
Doulas + Dollars (3:00 p.m. ET): This candid conversation with birth workers unearths the common misconceptions about their work and the long-standing barriers that have prevented them from supporting moms during pregnancy and labor — including a lack of funding for doula and midwife services at the local, state and federal levels. Hear from our experts why this work is vital to the Black Maternal Health movement.
The Fire Next Time Chat (6:00 p.m. ET): Like the James Baldwin masterpiece, this roundtable discussion tackles the issues of race and spirituality head on, but from the lens of reproductive justice. We are joined by religious and spiritual leaders to explore the question, “Can the Black community reconcile its faith with the RJ movement?”
MADAMENOIRE is excited to partner with The National Birth Equity Collaborative for this year’s event via our iOne Digital family.
If you’re interested in registering for BMHW22, click here.
RELATED CONTENT: “Want To Do Your Part? Here Are Some Helpful Ways To Observe Black Maternal Health Week, According To Master Birth Doula Latham Thomas”
