Systemic racism impacts marginalized people in many ways, and unfortunately pregnancy and birth are no exception. An absolutely terrifying fact is that maternal mortality rates are more than 3x higher for Black women compared with white women. Black women are also at higher risk of postpartum depression and anxiety disorders. This is one of the widest of all disparities in women’s health. One of the primary reasons this occurs is due to systemic barriers that prevent racialized communities from accessing health care and birthing support that is trusted and relatable.
The following 5 organizations are committed to promoting equity in Black maternal health:
Black Mamas Matter Alliance
The Black Mamas Matter Coalition is a cross-sectoral alliance that is headed by Black women and was the founding organization of Black Maternal Health Week.
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This group seeks to fight for Black maternal health, rights, and justice by centering its efforts on Black mothers in order to drive research, create power, and transform cultural norms.
GOALS:
- Introduce and promote human rights-based policies to alleviate health disparities among Black mothers and enhance their health outcomes.
- Advance Studying: Improve the health of Black mothers by drawing on the resources and expertise already present in Black communities and encouraging the development of cutting-edge research approaches.
- To better care for Black mothers, we must investigate, implement, and improve integrative models of health and wellness.
- Culture change: refocus and reframe the discussion on Black mothers' health, and give those mothers' voices a louder platform.
RELATED: Black Moms Matter! Overcoming the Maternal Health Crisis
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Ancient Song Doula Services
Ancient Song Doula Services is an international doula-certifying organization that was established in the Fall of 2008 in Brooklyn, New York.
Their mission is to provide quality doula services to women of color and families with low incomes who otherwise would not be able to afford doula care, as well as to train a workforce of full-spectrum doulas to address health inequities within the communities that they want to serve.
GOALS:
- Giving low-income people of color access to direct doula care.
- Distributing resources to doulas and the community.
- Training community people to become full-spectrum doulas.
- Providing prenatal and reproductive justice education based on research.
- Fighting for systemic policy changes to end the racial and economic disparities that affect children's health at birth.
Mamatoto Village
Mamatoto Village is committed to serving Black women by providing career pathways in maternal health; and by providing accessible perinatal support services designed to equip women with the necessary tools to make the most informed decisions in their maternity care, parenting, and lives.
These goals will be accomplished by creating career pathways in maternal health; and by serving Black women.
Mamatoto Village's novel approach to addressing racism and health inequalities experienced by Black moms, infants, and their families fuels the hopes of Black women everywhere for a more equitable society in which to live, love, give birth to, and raise healthy children.
National Birth Equity Collaborative
The National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC) was established in order to counteract the rising incidence of infant death that is occurring among the most disadvantaged communities, namely people of color of all shades.
They do this via training, research, technical support, policy, advocacy, and community-centered cooperation. The end result is a revolution in both systems and culture.
RELATED: Childbearing While Black: Changing the Narrative for Black Maternal Health
Ocama Collective
Ocama means “listen” in Taino-Arawak, a language of the Indigenous peoples from the islands known today as the Caribbean and South America (Abya Yala).
Inspired by this indigenous word, Ocama Collective views birth work as unique as each pregnancy, birth plan, and birth care.
We “listen” not only with our ears, but with heart and spirit, to each individual and baby that enters our circle of care. The Collective is open to ALL IBPOC families seeking a nurturing space to “listen” together.
Ocama Collective is a community-directed group of birth workers of color, living and working in Canada, who are dedicated to the reclamation of traditional and holistic childbearing and birthing practices, amongst queer and trans BIPOC folx. The Collective seeks to create access to cost-supported full-circle and community-based birth care.
