Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) takes place every year from April 11-7. Founded by Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA), BMHW is a week of awareness, activism, and community-building to bring visibility to Black-led maternal health initiatives and center the values and traditions of reproductive and birth justice movements.
This year marks the fifth anniversary of BMHW, and its theme is “Building for Liberation: Centering Black Mamas, Families, and Systems of Care.” It reflects BBMA’s work centering Black women’s scholarship, maternity care work, and advocacy across the full spectrum of sexual, maternal, and reproductive health care, services, programs, and initiatives. Additionally, this year’s theme reflects the critical need for learning about Black Feminist and womanist approaches to strengthening wellness structures within our communities and across the Diaspora as a revolutionary act in the pursuit of liberation and the global fight to END maternal mortality.
Black Maternal Health Week was officially recognized by the white house on April 13, 2021.
BMMA Information & Resources
- Toolkit – Black Maternal Health Week 2022
- Toolkit – Black Mamas Matter Alliance
- Products
- Literature
Statement of AMCHP CEO Terrance E. Moore on Black Maternal Health Week
April 14, 2022
Washington, D.C. – Terrance E. Moore, CEO of the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, released the following statement in recognition of Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17, 2022). For more information and resources about Black Maternal Health Week, visit blackmamasmatter.org/bmhw.
“In this fifth annual celebration of Black Maternal Health Week, we sit in reflection of the mighty work that has been and continues to be done to support the health and well-being of Black birthing people and to further our collective fight to end maternal mortality in our communities,” said Terrance E. Moore, CEO of the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs. “We express gratitude to the Black Mamas Matter Alliance for their continued commitment and activism, and we follow their lead, centering on the theme of ‘Building for Liberation: Centering Black Mamas, Black Families and Black Systems of Care.’
AMCHP Webinar – A Journey to Bith Justice: A Panel Discussion with the Filmmakers of Aftershock
AMCHP invites you to a panel discussion about Birth Justice during Black Maternal Health Week, on April 14, at 2:00 p.m. ET, featuring Aftershock filmmakers Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis and maternal health advocate Shawnee Benton-Gibson.
The United States has one of the highest levels of maternal mortality among developed nations. Black birthing people and families are disproportionately impacted, with Black women being 3 to 5 times more likely to experience a maternal death than white women. As we deepen the national conversation about Black maternal health in our country, we encourage you to join this discussion on Birth Justice to learn from the lived experiences of Black communities in memory of those who have passed from maternal mortality.
Objectives:
- Witness the strength and collective power of Black activists on birth justice.
- Understand the movement of birth justice through the lens of families with lived experiences in the Black community.
- Inspire maternal and child health leaders to further community-driven policies, programming, and actions.
Register now! For more information, please follow this link.
AMCHP Information & Resources
- Podcast Episode – Redesigning Birth Work for the Future with the InTune Mother Society
- Webinar – Addressing Mental Health in BIPOC Communities: Key Cultural Considerations for MCH
- Issue Brief – Equity in Telehealth Policy Framework
- Issue Brief – Perinatal Cannabis Use in the Era of Increasing Legalization: Considerations for State MCH Programs
- Pulse Article – Bold Voices from the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Field: The Urgency of Accompliceship to Advance Racial Justice
- Pulse Article – Listening to and Justly Partnering with Collective Perinatal Health Solutions: Wisdom and a Way Forward for Maternal and Child Health Professionals and Institutions
